


Encroaching Values

by Gallavantula



Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, Anal Sex, Cavemen, Interspecies, Invasionstuck, M/M, Porn, Primitavehumans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-19
Updated: 2014-03-15
Packaged: 2017-11-12 10:49:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/490060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gallavantula/pseuds/Gallavantula
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat has hidden himself away in the new army for the New Mighty Empress, Feferi. Her rule has freed lowbloods from injustice, but now there's too many empty holes to fill. His mission: obtain slaves. His target: Planet Earth. What he doesn't know is that Earth has more surprises than he can really keep up with. John is one of them. His blue eyes are another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crash landing

The happiest place to be in the universe is your own recuperacoon. No matter what the night’s challenges wrought, the day was always welcome to be slept in. Back in the Alternian fleet, rest was the best time to be alive. Awake, your time was spent serving the empire as loyal trash that was sent about the universe to do the cruelest of deeds. The New Empress had taken to creating new laws of equality among the trolls, erasing the largest slavery trades of the lowbloods. The repercussion of this act was that there were too many new mouths to feed, and endless trolls without jobs or positions for their new roles. And so in order to satisfy need and demand, the Mighty Empress sent out her armies to overtake new planets, and siphon their resources for the Great Empire. 

Karkat had known that even if his friend Feferi could abolish slavery, there would be no forgiveness for his mutant blood colour. After some research and experimentation, Karkat discovered a drug called Calipsoma, which with almost daily intake would change his blood colour from his disgusting candy red to a more acceptable mutant green. This change allowed him to become a part of the social ranking of a highblood with his strange lime green colour, and reach his dream of becoming a threshcutioner. With this duty and the New Empress’ established act, he was sent with a platoon of his own to find a new race to enslave in the place of the rustbloods. 

Finding their mission in the Milky Way, a beautiful blue planet was found and mapped out. Having limited technology (as identifying planets and studying them were of different importance in the old Empire), the helmsman computer replacement (HCR) could read that the planet’s atmosphere was composed of breathable oxygen and had a majority of water upon its surface. The troops scrambled to assemble their strife specibi and prepared for their journey to the water planet. The HCR assured that deployment was swift and effective, each captain leading their platoon to assault and wreak havoc upon the planet’s most populated capitols with lightning effectiveness. As Karkat’s ship lowered past the final layer of ozone and crashed upon its designated continent, the shaking and rattling of the ship met earth and stilled. 

The soldiers all stood at attention, some rattling within the chill of their armour as they watched the cockpit’s exit. A rustblood wrinkled its nose, the drooping of its thick horns hiding the expression from his face. Karkat ground his teeth against the smell of the accumulated bodies, and kept his eyes upon the weaker soldiers within his platoon. Then, the exoskeleton of the ship shuddered and shifted, the bio-organic technology preparing to open its maw. As the top began to sever itself, a howling met the hull on the outside, and the whole ship seemed to groan in pain. There was a shuddering, and the bright shine along the inner walls dulled and solidified. Before any musings could be made, another groan occurred and holes blew where the lip had begun to open. Small flecks of white and a severely heavy wind ran amuck like a howlbeast, causing many trolls to be knocked back. The cold was instantaneous and chilled many to the spot, paralyzing their fragile, tropical-based systems. 

“EVERYONE! FALL BACK!” Karkat had to shout even louder than he was used to (which is certainly saying something), pulling and pushing at his soldiers to seal the holes and regroup. They struggled onto each other, climbing the wall like a group of potato bugs and tried to plug the small gaps that were starting to grow much larger. The sheer strength of the wind outside tore down the rest of the doorway before they could do much more, opening the trolls to the large, white world that lay just beyond the opening. The white flecks whirling around their heads had begun to spatter against the warm armour of the platoon, flinging their tiny selves into little holes and crannies about the chinks and joints. A mustardblood psiionic attempted to create a barrier around his comrades, but the temperatures got to his thin body and the effect was soon lost before it could do much good. 

“MOVE! MOVE! REACH SHELTER OUTSIDE, NOW!” 

The troops reacted, throwing themselves outside and began trudging in four feet deep of the white fluff. It began to stick and clog up their legs, creating extra weight on their torsos and the bottom of their arms, making their movements slow and lag. But the trolls are a hardy race, and they began assisting one another into a huddled group. Some realized the potential danger of freezing to death, and raided their victims for cloths to patch up gaps within their own sentries. Soon, the remaining twelve of the platoon searched their surroundings, their eyes adapting to the blue planet’s idea of night, and managed to discover a cavern a ways off in the endless white of the horizon, and made the arduous journey to safety. 

“KEEP MOVING! DO NOT STOP. MOOVE!” Karkat urged, using his voice to motivate his soldiers. He could tell that those closer to the top of the hemospectrum were the most vulnerable, as their bodies did not generate as much heat as those lowest on the chain. Ignoring the need of those with the reddest blood, Karkat weaved among his platoon and grabbed onto his remaining psiionic, aiding the weak troll towards the enormous black opening. He shuffled around his cape and wrapped it around the psiionic’s exposed throat and face, making sure that her eyes were safe from the whipping force of the wind. The white powder kept falling and falling, dusting their flat surfaces or fabrics and clinging tightly to their skin.

A large muscled bronzeblood had begun to stumble and totter about, knocking into others around him as he was unable to keep his steps level, before collapsing into the snow. Karkat’s platoon did not stop, as the fallen soldier did not make any movements to get up again. Then next, a strong confident tealblood dropped to her knees and attempted to drag herself forward. Her weight made her sink deeply into the snow, and before long her head sunk beneath the white canopy of death. A copper-redblooded soldier ran back to try and bring her back, but soon it was obvious that she too had died from the cold. The young troll did not stop and kept urging and tugging at her and trying to pick her up, before her arm splintered and cracked off like tempered wood. He held onto it for a moment, looking at where the elbow should have been before dropping to his knees and belting out a cry of grief. Karkat did not look back to him. 

“ALMOST THERE!” He grit his teeth and hefted the dead weight higher onto his shoulder, unable to let go even if his charge had died already. Some of his soldiers broke formation and took off on him, pelting out the rest of their energy to reach safety. One by one they ran, almost diving into the cave before arranging themselves into a squadron again, and securing the cavern for themselves. Karkat was among the last few to enter, assessing the cavern for a moment or two. It was large and dome like, reminding Karkat of a cathedral. Stalagmites hung heavy from the ceiling, but closer to the walls to leave a smooth concave shape to the center. The walls also seemed smooth as far as he could see, but his night vision was not as effective inside as it was outside. 

“Troops! Regroup!” He felt his own strength waning, and thought it had been enough time to investigate any possible threats, his platoon would need to warm up, and fast. A very lithe and built troll ran up to Karkat and made his hand flex as if to strike, holding it above his face before crossing it down diagonally to rest over his blood pusher. The salute was repeated by Karkat and the yellowblood relaxed, curling his arms as tightly around himself as possible.

“The cavern has one deep tunnel in the far back, but we did not venture farther. It shrinks in size to fit a wriggler, no air comes from it. Must close off further below the surface.” Reported Zerbed, eyes sharply assessing his captain. Conditioned to appear strong, Karkat flexed his chest outwards and his spine flexed upwards, raising the small plates to seem tall and stared his subordinate down. 

“Good work, Zerbed. Take the coldest and highest on the spectrum further into the cavern, set up heat sources and rally the team. Get yourself warmed up, soldier.” Zerbed then made a much weaker salute, and dragged as he gathered the remaining seven of the platoon, and herded them to chores near the small tunnel at the back. The cavern was shaped like a speech bubble; the entrance was wide and round, but by the back it broke off in a small cone at an angle. The cone allowed for isolation from the winds and cold, preventing any more damage to his crew. Working together, a few trolls had managed to carve some stones and stacked them against the entrance of the cone, towards the opening in order to offer more cover. 

Others took arrows or small useless wooden trinkets and set them ablaze within a small enclosure also secured by stones. Once the flame was assured, the remaining team curled around the flames like flutter-beasts, and huddled as closely as trolls could allow themselves to be. Growling, Karkat hefted his charge down and virtually dropped her onto another troll. He flinched and spat at the intrusion before being eyeballed by his leader. Reluctantly, the rustblood Izikid hefted the unconscious psiionic onto his knees and kept her close. He kept trying to tuck his long hair behind his ears, but his strange icicle like horns prevented it from staying out of the way for long. Karkat himself plopped into Sheerik’s shoulder, wrapping his arm expertly around the other side and tucking him in closer. 

The small, barely 6 sweep old troll grumbled around his thick, bull like teeth and gave a harsh look to his captain, not daring to voice his distain. Seeing the look, Karkat eyed the rest of his crew who were shivering and eyeing nothing in particular. He made a snap decision and grabbed onto Loisi’s unconscious form and Izikid’s shoulder and collarbone, pulling the group of four together, and much more comfortably close to the fire. The two who were awake snarled and tried to pull away on instinct, but Karkat dug into his chest and made a harsh, buzzing warning that made the entire platoon still like ice. It was the sound a master, a commander made when absolute control was desired. The drones were made powerless as they watched in turn their leader make eye contact with each member. 

“I’m famillar with troll boundaries, and our desire for distance and solitude from others. But today, we have lost three comrades on our journey to the cave, and many more before we left our vessel. Until we figure out something better, every single one of you will huddle up.” The second rustblood of the platoon was already making a green face, looking sick at the prospect of snuggling up with Zerbed. The rest took notice and so responded with unrest and even a lack of discipline, forcing Karkat to recreate the commanding tone but speak with it too. “Every. Single. One of you. NOW.” Quickly they all scuttled close, wrapping arms around shoulders and huddling ever closer to the fire, treating the situation like training instead of survival. Each expression was grim as they reflected the fire, once yellow eyes now turning gold and red with life. The wind howled without relent behind them, and a chill traced their thighs and spines as it crept through their bodies. As time passed, Trolls began to shift closer to some more than others, turning their bodies in order to spread the warmth.

As Karkat watched, he thought at the back of his mind of what tomorrow might bring. How did their ship not take note of temperatures? The past empire is completely retarded, forgetting to check such menial things as common as knowing if it was winter or not. Looking down at his psiionic, he feared that their only contact with the ship was going to die because her body got too cold. Tropical planets were ideal for trolls, not a fucking frigid chunk of ice. Cursing softly in a chirping grind, Karkat wished he could lean his head into Izikid’s shoulder, take a moment to rest his head for a moment, but the feeling made him sit up even straighter than before. He felt the cold nag at his thick hide, sinking below the surface to wrap around his spine and ribs. He knew his platoon could potentially die if nothing was done. 

With nervousness and kindness he knew he shouldn’t show, Karkat flexed his stiff gloves and shifted Loisi closer to him. He then removed the cape from her head and wrapped it carefully around her shoulders with a delicacy usually reserved for matesprits or moirails. He tucked it tightly around her to trap the heat, then curled her body beneath his own. Sheerik sneered, his filthy orange-rust coloured eyes telling that he was passing judgement upon his captain, and Karkat snarled his way, holding the girl tighter.

“Something you want to say, soldier?” He ground out; his ears flicking with disdain as he openly challenged the boy. Sheerik clopped his teeth together as if he were chewing grass, and angled his head to show that he was speaking openly, but towards his captain all the same. 

“Going soft on us, Cap’n’t?” Sheerik then began to weakly chortle, a ringing laugh that was wriggling itself free from his fat, thick throat as some other members began to smirk and smile along. Karkat had dealt with people looking down on him his whole existence, and he wasn’t about to lose control again. As to assert dominance immediately, Karkat flexed his thighs and leapt at Sheerik, protecting Loisi in his arms as he surprised his subordinate and snapped his teeth tightly into his exposed ear. The shrill cry of pain left Sheerik’s trap like it was a flutterbeast freeing itself from its cage. The cry cut short into a wheezy clicking of pain before going silent as Karkat took the chunk behind his teeth for himself. He make a show of allowing the blood to dribble over his fangs and drop down his chin, making soft plik sounds as it hit the stone floor.

 

Seated upon his tongue was a rather large piece of the boy’s ear, and each and every troll that made complete eye contact with it seemed to swallow their own tongues. Making sure that each and every one of his eight members had gotten a good look at it, Karkat then swallowed the fowl tasting bit of flesh, but relished at the small bit of warmth it brought to his belly. It began to seep into the rest of his body as he sank back into his spot beside Izikid. He seemed to have gotten the message about insubordination and was more than ready to accept Karkat’s side to brush into his own. Sheerik was holding onto the bleeding part of his ear, trying to stop the bleeding of the almost bronze colour from being any more exposed. No troll gave any kind of sympathy as their captain stood up, holding Loisi closer still. 

“This sign of weakness I’m presenting is to ensure we have a ride home. This damn psiionic is the only contact we have left with the mother ship, and you DARE.” He leans in close, baring his teeth that he knows is still holding traces of his subordinate’s blood. “YOU DARE ACCUSE ME OF GOING SOFT!?” 

Sheerik has the decency to droop his ear and a half, and expose the back of his neck in a bow of submission. Snorting through his mouth and allowing a warble of distain to escape him, he makes a show of nipping the back of Sheerik’s neck before seating back down beside Izikid, and leaning into him as he had originally intended. Even as stiff as the fellow was being, he respected the captain and aided in keeping the psiionic warm. Sheerik was left alone, no troll willing to acknowledge him for some time until he was redeemed. Soon, the sun had begun to rise over the horizon, and the rays of light made those in the back row of the fire hiss and hide their faces. Quickly, Karkat clicked thrice and made a breathy whistle, the signal to bring out the daywear. Hurriedly, all the trolls opened small packs from various spots over their bodies, and began to create pieces of a tent. The other rustblood, Drugok, hurried to put out the fire and settled the coals before aiding the others in connecting pieces to the large dome they were forming. 

Within moments a sun-proof tent was erected, and all the trolls gathered inside. The darkness was a lot thicker in here, and discerning shapes was the best to be managed. Karkat counted heads, and made sure he and Loisi were last. Once inside, trolls layered the inside walls with furs and cloths to insulate it, before settling in piles. The tent was originally meant for four trolls, six at the max, but they were out of many other options. Karkat’s command was absolute, and even after some snarling, spitting and clawing, the trolls had all settled into a large pile of limbs and bags, and closed their eyes for the day. Karkat made sure their communicator was smuggled into the center, where it was warmest, and placed Zerbed there to care for Loisi. 

Karkat then settled himself near the entrance, listening to the howling of the wind as it battered their tent, but kept his eyes shut to think. The days here should not be as long as Alternia’s, their home planet is much larger than this one. But not by too many kilometers, and so he knew his platoon would be in for a long haul. He had to think, and think hard. What was he to do? Even if they achieved contact at this very moment, the mothership would still take a few days to call in a new platoon to save theirs. If they even got that lucky. There was no other option but to fulfill their proper tasks of study and await pick-up.

Hours had passed and Karkat listened to the broken breathing of his crew. The compact mess of all their bodies were comforting in a strange way, and Karkat was reminded of his internal weakness. He was too compassionate, too caring and sincere to the trolls around him. He knew it would cripple him one day, but his blood pusher doesn’t seem to know better. He felt his brow crease and ground his teeth together, fighting the self-hate that threatened to cause an avalanche of emotional anguish. His thoughts derailed when a body shifted closer to him, and an arm had wrapped itself around his own. The sensation was strange and foreign, something that made Karkat’s skin crawl like it was living. But his mind recognized the feeling of comfort, and he did not move himself away from it. He wondered if that soldier subconsciously responded to his anguish, or if the troll himself craved comfort estranged to their species. 

Time passed, and left Karkat to think about anything and everything. His thoughts were interrupted once more, but by something much more threatening. A foreign scratching sound bumped along the walls of the cave, alerting any troll to an intruder. Scanning the tent one more time, it’s obvious that the cold has sapped his soldiers of much energy and many slept heavily. Karkat takes it upon himself to investigate the source of the noise, and hurries to shove off the troll encamped upon him. The resting troll simply snuffles to himself and rolls over. Karkat takes a moment to check his inventory and pulls his sun-proofing hood over his face. The holes in his mask remind him of a polarized image of a skull, as it only emphasizes the pits instead of the bone. When his ally Makara had taught him how to paint his face, he could still recall the sensation of the underside of claws brushing against his skin as sticky white paint was applied. 

The feeling drifted along the back of his mind as he brought some resin goggles over his eyes. The polarization of the lenses allowed for colours and shapes to come into sharper focus, as his night vision would be useless during the day. He drew his sickle and slipped through the narrow opening, making sure it was swift but quiet in order to shelter his slumbering soldiers. Through his goggles the cave had a neon blue and purple hue to it, making the effect of a universe housed within stone walls. The rippling of the sun made the dapples of stars move to and fro, and the effect was more than mesmerizing. Quickly Karkat moved along the backside of the tent, checking for weakness in the stability of the tent, and moved towards the opening of the cone as slyly as he could. 

He kept his body low, using his memories from wriggler-hood to maneuver along the floor. Then, as he examined the open space of the cavern, he felt his entire body stiffen. His spinal plates shuddered and began to lift faintly, like the hackles of a howl-beast. Before him outnumbering his crew of nine by double, was a clan of pale white skinned beasts. Each had the same stature of a troll, but they had larger shoulders and chests covered in varying amounts of hair. They reminded Karkat of the large armed beasts that swung from trees along Alternia. Their forearms were thicker and bulkier with visible strength and they way they lumbered about made it obvious that they were trained to fight. 

The pale ape-like beasts had hair growing from the tops of their heads and along their faces, marking age and health. Most had swaths of fur covering important pieces of skin like their waists and their chests. All in the blink of an eye Karkat gathered this information and potential weak points. A younger looking male with a clean face had been standing alert, back turned to Karkat and wielding a long blade that was designed to slice. His parlour was the palest of them all, ghostly white and oddly thin looking. His hair was also white looking, but it seemed to be tainted a faint yellow. The lenses made the colours hard to pick out, but it was obvious that this parlour was not imitated among the others. The young male stiffened his posture, turning about as the leather sewn onto his body stretched as he reacted. Karkat bore his fangs, looking even more intimidating as the young male armed his blade and began barking these strange, warbling yowls that followed a pattern of speech. 

Soon, the whole group of apes stopped their milling and installing, drawing a multitude of weapons and standing at attention to face the threat. A young boy with a large, white wolf-beast prepared to unleash him as a similarly aged female grabbed a large oar like weapon and readied herself to swing. He sent another volley of snarls and high pitched clicks, warning them that he would fight with as much strength as he could muster. Communication seemed to be severely lacking between the two species as the larger beasts began edging closer, all of them making a formation to trap Karkat back. His warnings did not go unheard as his crew roused themselves and began pouring out, one by one, from the tent. 

Many of the shorter humans flinched and dropped back, their inexperience interfering with their instincts as the aged apes took their places with a more deadly intent. Soon enough, their squad of eight were armed to the teeth with their weapons out and formation at the ready. Small mandible flaps on the inside of their jaws starting to trill a frequency intended on stirring adrenaline in their companions. Sheerik began imitating the beasts common to wastelands, their large round bodies that floated through water and with their blunt fangs that pierced mane-beasts like butter. He clopped his jaw over and over, goading his opponent that seemed to hold two long barreled projectiles that imitated guns. 

Karkat drew a second sickle from his coat, and spread them wide in a taunt of showmanship. Things began to escalate quickly as they each shouted incomprehensible terms at each other, tempting one side to attack first. The heat got to a breaking point, and then Karkat took one step forward, lowering himself in order to show more of his back, a sign of defiance and strength. The apes however, responded differently. The adults seemed to hesitate, and questions flashed through their eyes as they lowered their weapons. Karkat leaned even further forward, purposely lifting his spines and baring his teeth with a deeper tone, using the second layer of small teeth inside his jaw to emit a darker frequency. 

Again, the apes responded to his movement as if he was surrendering and let up their formation. The young ones gathered together, and watched as what seemed to be an Alpha male stepped forward and dropped his weapon to the ground. A female stepped once behind him, a gesture of deep connection and equal weakness that put the trolls on edge. A leader should stand alone. This message seemed to be clear as the Alpha turned and grumbled towards his female partner, hand gesturing for her to step back. It seemed to take her a few stretched moments for her to convince herself to step back. From the way she began wringing her jewelry along her arms; Karkat confirmed in his mind that these creatures also had symbolic thought, as their own species did. No wonder they had been sent here. Strong, capable slaves. 

Karkat then stood up, and imitated the ape by dropping his own to sickles down onto his hammer. Immediately the trolls felt tenser, but they played casual and held their weapons down, changing formation to alternate rows and saluted. The apes responded hastily, some raising their weapons once more in unconscious response as others bared their blunt, herbivore teeth. Soon they seemed to blush in the face, and lower their weapons as they mimicked their formation, lining up to keep the young at the back. Karkat caught the actions of the many, and was almost shocked to realise that they were embarrassed. He realised how troll these creatures where, and how they seemed to respond to social cues and the like that trolls used as well. It was... strange to say the least. 

The Alpha again took a step forward, and held out his hand, as if to shake. Karkat studied it for quite some time, unsure of what the purpose of the gesture was for. The ape began to speak again, and Karkat watched. The way the ape seemed to communicate was using the vibrations from the throat and had a variety of tones from what could be assumed was a low thorax, and using the tongue, teeth and cheeks to change the pitch and create a pattern. It was beastial how they spoke, nothing like a troll’s dialect but more like a Lusi or beast that prowls the forests of Alternia. Karkat then made a bowing gesture, in which shocked the Alpha back a step, and then Karkat clicked for Zerbed to approach a step.

“Zerbed, your Lusi was a plate-faced ape, was it not? Attempt communications with these, ...apes. Tell them we demand our space, and they keep to theirs lest there be bloodshed.” Karkat then moved away from the Alpha, and Zerbed took his place. The moment was tense, but the Alpha allowed it. Zerbed cleared his throat a few times, his tone changing to what Karkat could assume was similar to those of the apes, and as he spoke it was similar enough. Every face from their opposition transformed to shock and surprise, the young ones dropping their defences as they all fixed their eyes on Zerbed. He changed his tone a few times, repeating sounds that seemed off or strange and continued to transmit his message. The Alpha responded in a more calm manner, addressing Zerbed directly and attempting to copy his accent. It was obvious that these apes could not imitate insectoid sounds, and it made sense as to why. They just weren’t bred for it, and their throats were their main source of output, and not the various muscles and joints from their jaws were. 

Tension began to roll off shoulders as Zerbed struggled to communicate, sometimes using his hands to make shapes and symbols. Karkat would stand close to his side, attempting to memorize the pattern being used and clinging to the images in his head to try and recreate the words. But his Lusi spoke a different language entirely, a clicking so similar to Alternian that his ability to adapt language wasn’t strong enough to form any meaning from the conversation. So instead he bid his time, answering Zerbed’s inquiries in response of the Alpha’s, and eventually a mutual agreement was formed. The apes would allow the trolls their space if the trolls accept that they own the cavern, and may settle as they please as long as the trolls are left undisturbed. 

Karkat wished that they would abandon the cavern entirely, but a glance outside answered his un-mused question; the blizzard had worsened over the rising of the sun and the apes had also required shelter. Inconveniently, they had located the same space. He grunted an agreement and spun his forearm once in the air. The signal meant regroup, and all the trolls relaxed and shuffled towards their tent. Zerbed was telling them about the order and the apes too began to settle again, starting to unpack piece after piece of fur, lining them down along the warmest part of the cavern. Their young began running about the adults, carrying small pots and rolls of some sort of fabric to one or the other as they all seemed to relax. A troll yawned, showing its fangs as the small boy with the howl beast went on his toes, eyeing the teeth with some sort of pleasure. The expression disappeared once the mouth was closed, and he hugged around the beast’s neck as if he were disappointed. 

Karkat allowed his platoon to re-enter the tent, and asked an alert mudblood to stand guard with him. They sat near the opening of the tunnel, watching the apes as they started to build small rings of stones before setting sticks of wood and stacking them in a shape of a teepee. Then, they scratched two rocks together in their palms, and sparks flew in vibrant yellow and gold before ending quickly in small tongues of red. Soon, the sparks licked the twigs with flames and a fire was born. Many females settled about the flames and set up small black wire structures atop the flames, setting pots of food to roast over the hardy fire. The males began to dress their weapons, settling themselves with their proper protection to guard the cave opening, but not near the trolls. Karkat observed some more, catching all the clues and hints to their society, and comparing them almost like a checklist to his own. At one point in history, trolls were this barbaric too. What if these apes were left alone? They could potentially evolve to be competitors for the trolls? 

Again it was all too clear to him why these creatures would be enslaved. They posed a threat to the troll race if they ever became advanced enough to leave into space. Their empress had much luck if she managed to so easily guide her troops to more planets like these. The trolls would bring dominion over the universe before long... And yet. Karkat’s eyes flashed to his partner, and noted that his armour was bulging awkwardly from his shoulders. He was tense, attempting to stay sharp when it was obvious he was exhausted by the cold. His pusher begged to send him to rest, but his think pan knew that it was best to have two on guard. His compassion hated that they had to enslave, kill and destroy others. His compassion made it hard for him to so easily kill those who did not obey and to crush diversity among his own troops. 

Growling to himself, Karkat rolled his forehead into his hand in frustration. This caused an observer to squeak and stumble backwards, which led to the chain reaction of Karkat leaping to his feet, claws armed as he prepared to growl. The sight before him made all aggression just seep from his air sacks as he assessed the intruder. The ape was about a head taller than himself, but his limbs made it obvious that he was gangly and had hit a growth spurt. Beyond those crystal blue eyes that seemed much too bright, this male was curious, but friendly. He seemed to hesitate, and slowly lifted his hands to show his palms. It was universal for surrender. 

Grumbling that he had been caught off-guard, Karkat dropped his weight and settled roughly onto his thighs. The motion seemed to amuse the ape, as he used his deep voice to make a chortling sound. Studying the upturned lips, crinkled eyes and rosy skin around the cheeks, Karkat deduced he was laughing. Growling in agitation again, Karkat noticed the male stopped and opened his eyes wide, exposing the alien whites around the brightly coloured irises. It was fascinating to say the least, and Karkat felt himself pulled towards the depth in those eyes. They had seen hardship, and dropping his gaze to look along his hands and body solidified the theory. Small thin lines marked scars, many small slices as others resembled small crescents. His muscles were trained and defined, from what Karkat can assume is heavy labour. 

The leather the boy wore was dyed a faint blue with what seemed to be natural herbs, and the designs were obviously hand pressed with melted disks of metal. Whatever the symbols meant was lost upon Karkat, but he could see the importance and pride those markings praised. Lifting his eyes again, his pupils dilated as his nostrils flared, for the ape and snuck a few hairs closer during Karkat’s observation. Another volley of warnings only made the ape giddier, and Karkat abandoned the notion of threatening appearance immediately. It was clear that even though this ape had reached mature adulthood, its mind was not in the same phase. So he arched his back and gained much height over his observer, and the tension shifted. The ape curled in on himself and looked intimidated, but not enough to back away. 

For the rest of the day hours, the ape ignored calls from his companions first, then their guardians, and eventually the Alpha had wandered over to converse with the instigator. Karkat had risen to the challenge, but it seemed to be unneeded as the younger male seemed to convince the Alpha of allowing this trepidation. Soon, his tribe gathered their mats and made tents of their own, in the farthest corner from the trolls yet sheltered by the intense winds all the same, and began settling in for the night. At the same time, trolls began to drowsily clamber about and followed the cavern wall to the entrance. Some urinated freely into the breeze, and those with the lowest IQ laughed and competed over whose would go highest. 

Then, when they had expired their fluids, the auburn, brown and copper blooded brutes began comparing sheaths before a wiser compatriot broke up the small frat party. Karkat watched as a female of the observer’s age came and grabbed him by the ear, twisting harshly as she lured him towards the tent. He was yowling in pain the whole time, attempting to keep up as he stomped backwards behind her. Once he was safely within the tent, the other apes gathered around the opening, put out the fires and made stock for the night before two guards sealed the entrance. The trolls began pulling out their own automated fold-out furnace units and cooking some pre-packaged grubloaves, sharing among their own as they began to discuss in small groups. Sheerik was still exiled from the group, and sat alone by the entrance. The sun then set completely, allowing the trolls to remove their daywear. With the disappearance of the only powerful heat source, the winds began to damper, only noticeably.

Karkat then spoke with Zerbed, and made plans to update their communication devices in order to have the whole troop understand their neighbors, in case of collaboration or ambush. Zerbed seemed proud that his leader had come to ask for his technological help, and his pride reflected his craftsmanship. One at a time he had taken the devices meant for troop communication from each troll and updated their software. He made it so that each small device could translate the spoken dialects from the apes, but also serves as a communicator to speak for them lest they must ask the apes something. Karkat made sure to follow him from troll to troll, serving him bits of food and drink between the smallest of breaks in order to make sure he wasn’t going to collapse from lack of resources.

Some of the trolls gave them looks, but Karkat quickly silenced their questions with aggression and snarls of warning. He was going to have to teach his team to stop being fuckass idiots and understand that some kindness is key to survival, unless they favoured death. Idiots. Eventually, Karkat himself offered up his arm for the adjustments to be made, and observed his platoon once more. Taking note of their packs, he assumed that they had about a week’s worth of rations before they would need more. A glance towards the entrance spoke volumes of their situation, and Karkat feared that if it did not change, the trolls would require assistance from the apes. The idea was rather unsettling. 

Once his device was hooked up, Karkat began ordering his team into groups of two, and made Zerbed his co-captain, as his previous compatriot did not survive the landing. He gave each team a task to handle during their stay, and assigned orders if the blizzard was to settle before that time was up. Alpha was to secure the tent and change their shifts to be asleep at night in order to stay watch during the day. Beta was their guard during the waking hours, making sure to keep tabs on all members and formulate a schedule to keep all the trolls on their toes and busy. If the blizzard let up, it was their job to protect their turf from the apes.

Gamma would ensure the resources were spread evenly among the platoon, making sure that each member ate the same shares to prolong their rations. They were also the medics, and would assess the health and needs of each soldier to keep them in proper shape. Zeta was to take a list of weapons and spread them equally among the troops, but to also ensure that those with stronger abilities get the sturdier weapons to match their skill set, as well as take each other group and have them spar and practice with all types available. 

Dexterity is a practice easily forgotten, but Karkat remembers how learning to use any weapon was a skill that repealed the reaper a few times where he needed it most. Tetra was the final group in which Karkat and Zerbed formed, and their job was to be the grease between each post. They would take their time with each squad and make check-ups on their abilities and strengths. Because Zerbed had the most experience with Ape language, they would take the breaks available to the trolls to tutor them (himself included, Karkat would need all the practice he could get.) That was the end of the first day.

~*~


	2. Change

By the third night, troops had well established their new way of life and had adapted to living beside a constant threat. The group learned to co-operate better and had settled together to learn more of the ape’s language and practiced in their teams to nail down the accents. Some struggled with the s pronunciations as other could not imitate the r and rolled it too viciously. It was tricky business, as most of his troops had lusi that instructed a very simple dialect most similar to Alternian, or had a different form of communication entirely. If Karkat hadn’t known any better, he would assume that this was done on purpose. His fleet cared not for other species or signs of life; they were on a mission to enslave those beings into doing their dirty work, not connect or communicate beyond that need. It was frustrating how simple-minded and stupid trolls were, thinking that with their strength and numbers alone they can dominate the galaxy. 

 

Lost in more of his troubled thoughts, Karkat was observing his troops when his ears picked up on a soft shuffling from the ape’s tent. The flap of the hut flipped open, and three hulking creatures made their controlled exit, movements slow but yielding much power. They were covered head to toe in long, languish fur that changed from off-white to tan or black speckles. They had no traceable faces, but their heads were obvious enough to tell of sentience. In each enormous paw was a long arc of metal, the inner side carved down to slice through a target. The handles were hand wrapped with dried and stretched pieces of flesh to make a solid grip on the thin blades. On their backs were harnessed woven baskets with fangs and ground down bones in between the lids. Obviously the seemed like the Ape’s pets, but the whole crew bristled with panic and challenge. Not one of his soldiers had noticed these beasts enter or even appear within the cavern and the surprise alone caused many to leap to their feet, shouting warnings in the primal voices of their lusii. 

 

The beasts responded in kind, shifting their legs apart for balance and gripping their blades at a second handle, ready to make them spin to pin their target against their bodies as the blade does the rest. Tensions were rapidly rising to breaking point until the shortest of the beasts began to cluck oddly. It was only a few more seconds of the sound that Karkat was able to classify this sound as laughter. It then stood erect, and used a paw to tug at its head. The trolls felt their bellies roll with terror as the head gave, and was being removed like a second skin. Shock bowled them over once more when an ape peeked out at them from behind the folds of fur. Realisation dawned on all of them when they understood that these were not beasts, but suits made to protect them from even this harsh blizzard. 

 

Mutually all the trolls regrouped and settled a little closer to their tent as Karkat twitched his ears, grinding his flaps to creak a call for Zerbed to join him. The two approached the apes and tuned their communicators as the tallest ape revealed himself to be the Alpha. Karkat nodded respectfully, and held his hands crossed over his waist, ready to draw his sickles at any given moment. The Alpha’s bright frightening blue eyes look down to reveal the whites, and Karkat’s spinal plates begin to rattle faintly in the silent specks through the wind. He can faintly catch the same tune coming from Zerbed, and feels comforted to know that he is not the only one feeling intimidated.

 

Karkat cleared his throat, making his first attempt to use his new language skills. “”Eaps, rhie hash dee reshd ash huch?”” From their dumbfounded expressions, it was obvious that Karkat hadn’t learned much at all. His face flushed that wretched bright green, and his eyes darted to Zerbed. He was holding back his laughter, his own cheeks softly coloured that dark bronze. He huffed loudly and slugged Zerbed as hard as he could in the cheek. Zerbed had been too off balanced to counter, and received the hit full front. His sturdy shape allowed for his body to remain planted, but his head snapped to the side from the sheer force of the blow. The apes all yelped in surprise, the still unrevealed ape arming itself on instinct, but Zerbed only chuckled, wipping a small speckle of blood away from his lips, but still with a large smile. Karkat felt some warmth seep into his bloodpusher at the sight, knowing that not many troops have changed their expressions from a frown.

 

“My apologies boss, that was just too funny to ignore.” He murmured, running a hand through his hair for a moment to avoid eye contact. Karkat only rolled his eyes instead of chewing him out, feeling a little thrilled that Zerbed was already growing closer to him.

 

“Just shut up and speak for us already. Ask them what they’re up to.” Grumbling for show, Karkat shifted his stance to be behind Zerbed as his partner took forward and spread his arms, using them to communicate with his far more excelled speech.

 

“”What is it you are doing with your suits of beasts?”” 

 

The apes looked at each other with expressions that clearly announced how stupid the question sounded, and even the shortest ape began to chuckle, his refracted ocean blue eyes dazzling from the influence of the whites. It would be mocking weren’t it so unnerving. “”We’re going hunting, and it’s only possible with these hulks of fur.”” 

 

“”So they protect you from the vicious winds long enough to collect meat...”” Zerbed nodded then, straightening his posture as he looked the suits up and down. Karkat was more interested in the younger ape, giving him the heartiest glare he could muster. He was answered with a wink and a strange rickety hand gesture. The gloves were too large to really tell what kind of motion he was making. Karkat grimaced, and clicked his jaw flaps once. Zerbed chuckled again before resuming his conversation with the Alpha on the specifics. Even though he should have been paying attention, the youngster was making faces and laughing irritably enough to keep him focused. He felt the smaller scale-like plates along his shoulders and solidified wriggler joints begin to bristle as he got angrier. What the hell was this nookwhiff doing?

 

“”You’re not scary, doing those weird noises. I’m scary!”” He bosted, raising his arms and swinging them from side to side, as he widened his eyes and hollowed out his mouth. The shallow ‘oohs’ coming from his chest added to the eerie effect of the eyes, and in the next moment they seemed to flash in the brightened light of the reflective snow. It was so sudden and frightening that Karkat fell upon survival instincts and drew his weapons, leaping out at the ape. The whirring coming from his mouth seemed to be warning enough as the young ape eeped and leapt back to avoid the attack, narrowly missing his savage swing.

 

It was all it took to get the other ape to step in, swiping towards Karkat’s head for one clean cut. Before it could get within range, Zerbed was there to restrain his captain, as the Alpha clashed blades with his own team. Karkat wriggled within Zerbed’s grasp, clicking and chirping aggressive tones towards his aggressor, who’s eyes now glimmered dimly with fear as he hid behind his two compatriots. The aggressor shirked his leader’s blade, and backed away. 

 

Zerbed tightened his grip around his leader’s throat, interrupting the frequency and startling his captain’s state of mind. It took milliseconds for him to return to his normal state, and he stood up. Zerbed released him and saluted, arching his head and fixing his eyes to the ceiling in submission. Karkat only trilled twice in release, and rubbed his sore throat as he fixed his eyes on that brat again. He flinched as he should have, and Karkat felt better about the incident. These beasts are going to be a challenge to master. 

 

“What did they say?” Karkat mumbles after a few restless moments of silence. Zerbed breaks salute finally and looks into his leader’s eyes, funny business complete gone from his demeanor. Karkat felt a little guilty at seeing it go so quickly. 

 

“The Humans realize that we don’t have supplies enough to last out the cold season. In mutual agreement among their clan, they have need to aid us survive what they call this season as ‘winter’.” Zerbed said, training his eyes to the ground. It’s obvious that he thinks it’s a respectable idea, and his meekness reinforces his support. Karkat knows that the crew won’t be too happy, depending on the resources they were meant to collect. They would prefer to starve than have lesser beings serve them food. 

 

“And they plan on feeding us like halpless grubs?” The captain growls, sliding into the persona he adorns when he needs to be aggressive. It works well enough when Zerbed’s eyes shrink and his ears flop down.

 

“Oh-Of course not, boss. They just want to help-” Zerbed defends, raising his hands as cups, as if trying to support his arguments. He’s got this warm look in his eyes, the kind Karkat knows is the look you give to your lusus, the affection trolls reserve for their guardians. It shocks him deeply, to think that this powerful, copper-gold blooded troll, could even embody affection for these beasts. It makes him stay quiet as he studies his soldier’s face, the defender’s stance that is half in action half protection, eyes bright and attentive. It’s weird, seeing this kind of love in someone else’s face. 

 

“I get it. Tell them that we will accompany them. Our pride won’t allow us to be school fed.” Karkat’s tone is sturdy and heavy, but his shoulders are hunched in embarrassment and his eyes downcast as he relents. It means more to Zerbed that these apes are okay. The response is instantaneous. Zerbed’s whole body seems to thrum with positive energy as he stands tall and proud, turning to the apes as he begins to speak with them again. The Alpha’s expression seems to brighten as well, and he calls to the reluctant fighter at the back. The flow of this mood seems to reach it and it’s shoulders lift as it takes off towards the tent. 

 

“They have extras in their stores, they’re grabbing two for us.” Says Zerbed proudly, a grin trying to make home on his face. His arms are crossed over his chest as he puffs it out, and the behaviour is similar enough to what he observed from the apes that it makes sense how he feels so close to them. It seems even species transcend the limits of distance and space. It’s not a long wait when two young females return with enormous bundles of fur and baskets. They have to drag these light coloured nets as the contents are much too large to handle alone. The first one, a thin but defined blonde with bright pink eyes, reminds Karkat of squeakbeasts from Alternia. They had the same type of eye colour, and the same behavioural hesitation and awareness. She drops the net and takes three steps back.

 

The second female has a much larger body structure, her muscles and bones seem to be larger and denser than the others and it makes her stand out. Her articles hide the most skin than any other ape before her, and her black wiry hair connects her lineage to the Alpha and the annoying nookwhiff who seems to keep making faces when he isn’t looking. Her eyes are a much duller blue, but they seem to reflect a pale blue that is chilling like the snow outside. She is daintier when she deposits her load, but she does not retreat. Her eyes find Karkat’s and she does not flinch. It’s a strange dance of challenge; she does not want to clash, but her gaze is a warning for it. Karkat simply lowers his chin, looking past his face to return the response.

 

Satisfied, she turns and gathers her more nervous partner, and begin to open the nets and settle their loads. The black haired female is whispering soothingly to the other, encouraging her to remain focused. It’s soon obvious to Karkat that they cannot dress in these suits alone, and require assistance. That’s going to take courage from both parties, and Karkat crosses his fingers that nothing goes wrong. The black haired female beckons to Karkat, and he responds diligently and approaches, hands out and chin up. She then begins wrapping pieces of fur around his chest, torso and legs, slowly building up his resistance. 

 

Zerbed was treated similarly as he stood as harmlessly as possible. The blonde was nervous, eyes darting to examine Zerbed’s face, worry creasing her delicate brow. Her hands shook every time she had to dip close enough to touch Zerbed’s body. It was an interesting observation, as the other apes seemed to either be disinterested or friendly towards their compatriots. Zerbed’s expression was cramped with discomfort; he could feel the small ape’s tension and it made his body stiffen in response. The process took a few minutes, each piece needing to be properly secured before you can move on to the next. 

 

The mask came on last, and Karkat felt indomitable. The bulk on every inch of his body felt heavy, but it was a welcome feeling of protection. He felt like a wriggler, wrapped in his cocoon for pupation again. He would spring out of these folds a new, stronger being. The warmth bubbled around his blood pusher as he looked through the strange mesh-like pits in his mask, and he could see the cavern around him in full clarity. Zerbed was looking to him, fully dressed himself and looking even more terrifying than the apes did moments earlier. They nodded, and sunk to their knees before their assistants. It was their thanks, and both females looked humbled by their actions. They waved their hands, gathered the nets and took off towards the tent. 

 

Standing tall and strong once more, their group of four congregated by the front entry and drew their weapons. The youngest ape grinned and replaced his mask, tying it down and pulling out his enormous war hammer. The Alpha drew out the large curved blade and held it out before him, turning it so that the flat edge made some sort of leading barrier. The younger ape lined up to his left and invited the trolls with a wave of his hand to do the same. Zerbed took the right, and Karkat took the back corner of their diamond, completing the formation. With a grunt of confirmation, the team set forth into the cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more exploration and setting up the rising action.  
> Not beta'd, so please forgive any mistakes.  
> and the strange format. Word and AO3 don't seem to like each other much.


	3. Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support everyone!  
> I'm really glad that I have a few readers trailing along!  
> I hope I don't disapoint!~

It was a feeling Karkat was familiar with, a feeling that smothered your food flap and dulled the senses. Pressing down like the pressures of the deep, Karkat felt smaller than he ever had; smaller than his first trip into space; smaller than the gathering halls of the Emperial Condensesion’s greatest treasure, a hollowed out planet made of quartz; smaller than his first years as a grub. The terrain was so vast and large on its own that the lack of visibility two hundred feet forward made it seem completely endless. The rise and falls of the dunes of snow changed every moment, making the perils of falling behind and succumbing to the tides even more biting to the tongue. 

The feeling of being near death is hard enough in itself to describe, but Karkat could feel it everywhere around him. His training did nothing to prepare him for this. The sentiment of dying at any moment heightened the experience of depending on the apes for guidance, and the whole of a group looking for anchor in each other in this vast space of oblivion. It was enlightenment. It was nirvana; haven; the revelation of the great messiahs; the coming of the vast glub. Nothing could compare, could undermine the special quality the journey had to the frozen lake. Karkat felt like he dipped into Sopor slime accidentally, everything seemed too ethereal, bright and magical. His thoughts were blank as they were whirling around his head, never had he felt so humbled and spiritual without there being a token to a god or prayer.

He felt released.

“”Here animals break patches of ice to dive for prey. It’s important to stay on thicker slabs as not to break the cracks and sink into the chilled water ourselves. It will be instant death, for all of us.“” says the Alpha, with slow and careful pronounciation. He indicates patches of ice that even under the drifts of snow look uneven and hardening. Some areas seems okay, but then the traitorous lapping of water can be seen from careful observation. The younger ape’s shoulders are tense as he looks to the ground, and it reminds Karkat of mourning. There must have been many deaths here, for generations before them. Some trees bare sigils carved into their bark so deeply that the snow is more of a beacon than a cover to their meanings. Zerbed bows his larger head, and it dawns on him moments later. Each sigil is a name. Each one is another death.

Karkat’s skin jittered with all his enlightenment and adrenaline, and he could not focus on more than the leader that seemed to blur his outlines with the landscape. It was ghostly, and made it harder and harder to think. When the mourning passed, both the young ape and Zerbed looked up simultaneously at the Alpha, and the Alpha acknowledged. Karkat was a little more hesitant in responding, and the Alpha also took notice. There was challenge within both members, and their stances contained authority. It took a few minutes of the other two compatriots to look between them for Karkat to very reluctantly back down. Then, the Alpha acknowledged him as well. He took point once more, and cut a slice into a nearby tree to mark their starting point. 

“”We stay in formation, look for movement near the cracks of the ice. Don’t go too near. Be cautious.“” The Alpha spoke at last, giving the young ape a stern look, or what Karkat assumes is stern. It’s not like he can see his face. The young ape nodded then, and got his hammer at the ready as Zerbed mimicked him with his own Ape sword. Karkat drew his sickles, and shuddered from a sudden gust. It was a silent signal, and their diamond moved forward. The pace was set on threes; watch, step, reconfigure. Watching was when the team was listening, waiting for any motion. When there was none, they each would take a step, repeating the first tier than regrouping to keep formation.

Time passed slowly, each step forward seeming to meld into the last, and the trolls were soon bored. Alternia was alive with creatures and lusii, it was hard to push the familiars of home from the think pan. Instinct pounded upon their blood pushers, urged them to rush forward and startle prey. Soon karkat became agitated, and started to make more movement outwards, scanning further along the ice than the others. The Alpha noticed, turned and took a step forward. A strange bark resonated from his throat, and his stance was commanding. The sound was so startling that Karkat was unsure how to react. Staying still, he watched as the Alpha became more agitated, but the distance and howling of the wind prevented proper translation, and the rest was gibberish. 

 

Finally, he mused that perhaps the Alpha was upset that he broke formation. Karkat took one step forward, intent on rejoining the group, but then the Alpha went still, and sunk down into battle position. Karkat reacted in kind, sinking to his haunches and baring his teeth, getting ready to fight when he then noticed Zerbed. His second in command wasn’t moving, his stance trapped between flight and defence. Confused, Karkat began looking for the young ape, eyes darting over the visible plain of field when it suddenly hit him. From behind, there was a small creaking coming from the thick plates of ice, as if a heavy weight was being carried over the shifting slabs. A small whiff began to make itself known, as it was quite unpleasant and reeked of dead fish. A soft, faint panting and whistle could be heard, and Karkat knew this creature was enormous. 

 

The Alpha made the bark noise again, and the shifting weight stilled. He continued to motion to Karkat, but he was unsure if the motions meant stay or come. The young ape was nowhere in sight, having apparently disappeared in the storm. Cursing his bad luck, Karkat risked glancing behind his shoulder. What a mighty creature rested there, muscle and sinew lining its enormous bone structure. It had two large horns growing down from its jaw, the husks covered in a soft layer of dead algae. The face was covered in short hairs that had small traces of frost along the tips. Two bloodshot eyes stared out of the ripples of skin that wrinkled its face, and Karkat felt scared. This creature had red blood. It was a huge, dangerous beast with crimson mutation running through its veins.

 

Instinct took over in that moment of stillness, like inhaling a deep breath. Zerbed responded first; dropping his incomplete stance to build energy in his knees, and took off in an ark to the right. His steps were heavy but swift, and his path was clear as he chose to begin with a low blow. Karkat whirled about and dashed to the left, putting all his focus in each step forward as the beast howled loudly, a medley between a screeching train and a Capricorn’s acrid honking. It reared up on its fat torso and tail, using its flipper-like arms to rear up and gesture violence. A gash begins to bubble up that terrifying red blood, and each flap spatters the bright colour onto the innocent snow.

 

Karkat makes his move next and leaps up, bringing down both of his sickles at once on each side of the skull, digging into the bone like solidified grub butter. The beast howls with the agony of the cuts, its breath so powerful that it’s a physical punch. Karkat is flung back into the snow, his body arching for unbearable seconds of waiting before hitting the ice hard and forcing out all the oomph and air left in his body. Zerbed is the follow up, who strikes its exposed belly with the blade and slices deeply. He doesn’t expect it to sink so far, and is momentarily stilled in his swing which gives birth to opportunity. The beast raises its heavy limb and brings it down with all its might, narrowly missing its target and smashing open the ice. Zerbed retracts his weapon and leaps out of the way, tumbling into a roll that has him winded.

Karkat has then managed to regain his bearing, preparing himself to strike as the ice continued to splinter apart, when the beast flinched and made a series of pained groans, shaking its pelt viciously from side to side. There, standing proud on its back with his hammer, is the young ape. He raises his war hammer over his head and brings it down on the creature’s head, forcing it to silence. Blood dribbles from its mouth, eyes rolling in their sockets as the beast rocks shakily and sinks to the ice. The added weight causes the entire plate to shatter and the flat terrain is splintered. There is no time to shout, scream or even choke on any form of vocalization; the young ape goes under the surface of the water. 

 

Time also feels frozen. It hesitates to move forward, slowing the world down to meet its indecision. Frame by frame, the process of the ice giving out and the husk of a body sinking below the water, its velocity pulling down the young ape without a flicker of struggle, or mercy. Over and over, it cycles through Karkat’s mind like the reel of a movie. His head is trapped in the shock of the moment, eyes unseeing and ears muted. His think pan is cold and isolated from everything else as his body has responded on survival mode. His feet dig into the cracks and rifts, pushing his air sacks to burn. His arms are stiff at his sides, hands in the shapes of claws, sickles gone.

 

There is nothing else beyond his leap into the water, the parting of the waves as he sinks like a stone. The fur greedily sucks up the water, rehydrating itself and gaining weight. Karkat has been trained with heavier weights in denser waters, and the strokes are just as instinctual as he dives lower and lower into the black water. Wherever there is light, the water is a sickly piss yellow, dirty and sandy. Clarity isn’t a problem, the two silhouettes are the only recognizable shapes under the waves. The beast is twitching as it recovers consciousness, but the damage is brutal enough to keep it still long enough for Karkat to snatch up the ape, and begin to use his legs to kick up. The boy is an added weight, and the energy it takes to swim is almost tripled, but Karkat has no conscious acknowledgement of the strain. There is only up, only out.

Karkat’s mind finally opens up from its distracting circles long enough to asses that he has reached the surface, and he must heave the boy out. It takes more than his body has left to pull him up, fighting the rim of the ice and the greedy fingers of the water and drag them both to safety. The kid is out cold, and his limbs are still as Karkat finds an enclave at the edge of the lake. His think pan is still rebooting, processing one item at a time before continuing on to the next as he pulls the boy up and lays him out. He rips off his mask and gloves, arming his claws to tear off the obstructing articles on the boy. His exposed face has Karkat’s skin rippling with so many feelings that his mind is just shuddering with shock and confusion. Checking pulse tells him that the kid is alive, but there is no breath escaping his food flap. There isn’t much Karkat can do without harming the boy permanently, before it hits him. 

 

There is no time to think; Karkat’s lips are pressed to the ape’s, pumping breath into his air sacks. The first few attempts are moot as the air retreats right away, so Karkat weaves his fingers together and starts to thump on the boy’s chest. Each beat seems to strengthen his pulse, but it’s not enough. The kid’s lips have turned blue, and the area under his eyes are blooming a sickly purple yellow. The parlour of his skin sends Karkat’s think pan back into hysterics , and the process becomes all there is. He is pumping the kid’s chest in rhythm to his blood pusher; fluffing the ape’s lips and throat to accept the air in time with each pump. Ritual, meaning of existence. It’s reassuring in each motion, and Karkat just won’t stop. 

 

As if out of nowhere, the boy’s body flexes tightly, and water is pouring down Karkat’s throat. He retracts and coughs, the burning of the filthy water making his sensitive eyes burn, thorax aching from the intrusion as the chill catches his core. His haunches begin to feel heavy, his chest tight with too many unnamed feelings to deal with. Before him the boy is puking up water, his nostrils flaring to catch air in between each rejection. His body looks so frail and vulnerable, his wet form curled on the solid canopy of ice. The air is rattling in the poor kid’s throat, and Karkat is back on track. The vomiting means the body is rejecting the foreign intruders, but that expends even more energy, energy he doesn’t have left. The boy is revived, but he’s soaked. The cold will eat him just as quickly up here than in the water. 

 

Without another word, Karkat scoops him up and cradles the poor kid to his chest, allowing him to curl into his warmth and hide his exposed face in Karkat’s welcome, rumbling chest. The world within his mind is slowed and bright, the winds having settled to whistling and snow drifting along the hills. Karkat remembers not if it is night or day, nor if his compatriots followed behind him or if they were left behind. His memory is blank when he arrives at the mouth of the cave, his steps bring him to their sun-proofed tent where he shuffles inside and undresses the young ape, finally curling up with him in the center. He drapes furs over their shivering bodies to trap warmth, and keeps the young boy from view. 

 

Together, they fall into an exhausted sleep, one unaware of what transpired, and the other uncertain of what he’d done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta'd, forgive the usual mistakes.  
> I'll be going through for cleaning after the fifth chapter is posted.  
> Any comments are greatly appreciated.  
> Sorry for format ouchs


	4. Building snowballs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys! This chapter was not satisfactory so I reworked it!  
> I hope everyone who commented and talked with me enjoy this reworked and improved chapter! Thanks!

Three days pass with quite some turbulence. The Apes ("Humans," Zerbed had corrected on the second day,) panicked when they thought the troll leader was to eat their Alpha's son. There had been a small feud which had ended when the Alpha burst into the tent for rescue. The troop rallied outside, waiting in panicky tension as the grains of time dripped down atop their heads, closing in on the entrance to peer within. A small struggle developed inside as a troll with pointed horns scrambled to get out of the way, accidentally sticking his hand into the mouth of another troll. There were cries of outrage and squeaks of shock before the Alpha found his son's pale foot in a pile of troll and wrappings. Tufts of fur were thrown aside as clicking and snarling echoed after their retreating leader, bleary eyed welp in stumbling tow. It was comical how it took all his effort to finally fall out of the entrance, worried clan members collapsing over their returned youth with a strange fervor.

Together they all moved as a battalion towards their side of the cavern. None seemed willing to turn and defend as trolls stumbled out of their tent in turn, bewildered themselves by the Alpha's sheer bravery to rescue his young and return completely unscathed. The same troll that had unwillingly fed his hand yelped like a beaten barkbeast as a far larger, green hued troll gave aggressive pursuit. In a whirlwind of instinct, Karkat burst forth from the tent only to see the charge he protected be nestled within a young woman's chest. Black daggers of jealousy surged through him when those bright green eyes met his. Karkat felt his blood jump between boiling and frozen as he registered the colour his blood was meant to be and resented this pale welp for stealing away his strange new duty. He could only snarl as she stuck her tongue out in his vicinity before spiriting him to safety. With the humans all gone from sight, Karkat was left to bark and bristle against his soldiers for failing to remember a day-guard.

Soon the trolls regained their bearings, looked about the empty cave themselves and shuffled under their captain's angry stare inside the tent. The forestblood had successfully knocked some teeth out of the rustblood's mug, and had thrown him over her shoulder as punishment. Together they passed their leader, the emerald warrior bowing piously while her companion barely kept his eyes locked coherently. Once there was a guard on duty, Karkat also retired with a heavy stone hanging in his digestive sack.

The incident gave birth again to the tension between species, each looking to the other end of the cave with concern and mildly masked apprehension. For the trolls, the humans were being far too calloused and hostile; their leader had saved the pitiful runt's life. The humans all seemed to think otherwise; all but those directly involved. Within the Human camp, the Alpha's child underwent heavy examination from the Pack's Healer on the dawn of the incident. She was very old looking in a traditional sense. Her hair was grayed out and wiry, curling around her ears and cheeks in well groomed curls. The krinkles around her baby blue eyes and soft pink mouth made her expression a perpetual mischievous chuckle. It reflected the coddling 'Hoo hoo hoo's that seeped from her tightened lips.

"My, my John. Always begetting trouble aren't we?" Nanna murmured, twisting her grandson's arm this way and that, checking the scratch marks that trail his armpit. The patient in question squirmed against her pull, the scrapes and bruises beginning their combined complaints and protests. He eyed around his tent, hoping to spot his sister or his companion Dave while avoiding looking at his father. They all seemed to have been whisked away for morning chores. Another sudden tug and a soft whimper slid between clenched teeth. 

"Not like I meant it this time, Nanna. Honest." John said, eyes downcast as he avoids the looks his father is sending him. He can feel the disappointment radiating from his tall, domineering form. Despite what John felt, his father merely battled the emotions welling up from within him. Despite their ways, the chieftain was deceptively averting his eyes, which helped John do the same. 

"A heir should be better behaved." Is all he says before grunting in frustration and prowling towards the entrance to the tent. With a shaking fist he whips out his hand to snatch the Chieftain's bow, and whips the curtain open with the other. John realizes he's gone to make peace with the Grey Skinned Strangers, and hangs his head as the burning shame of what happened simmered in his chest. Without pause, Nanna simply grooms John's unruly hair using a buffalo's tongue to brush the largest of the knots. 

"Don't take things so harshly dear; you know he was just worried silly. He's relieved you're safe and dandy, dear." Focused on trying to clear out the knots, Nanna is deaf to John's howls of protest. The grooming is a short affair that once dealt with leaves John's skull smarting in a new way. "Take it from me, these types of things tend to solve themselves!" 

"But Nanna, these Grey Skinned Strangers aren't just some angry tribe. They are Fierce warriors with tools we don't understand." Muttered John, focusing on a particular salt stain on his returned clothing. His Nanna only chuckled as she put her tools away, littering about their shared chamber to tidy the fur dressings and chests. 

"I certainly agree that they are no human tribe, but these strangers seem to be no different than the appearance of their skin and the mantles on their brow." Nanna mutters, pulling out an elegantly painted satchel that looked twice as old as herself. "I trust you have seen far deeper into their spirits than I. Bearing that knowledge, do you think them no better than beasts?" 

John fell into a sullen silence, staring about his family's tent. Of course he didn't, they speak and feel just as we do. They have culture and tradition, just as our tribes do. But why was he so intimidated by them, if they aren't so different, like Nanna said? Shaking his head, his gaze lingered over the Lalonde's quarters, hoping to spot Rose or Roxy, but both seemed to be milling outside. His Nanna, in her aged wisdom was right. The fact that he had been saved so desperately by the Grey Skinned Strangers meant something too complicated for his head to completely grasp. Why did the leader of the Grey Strangers find such value in his life? Other clans left the heirs to their Destiny's mercy, willing the Gods to choose if they were fit for leadership or not. Perhaps the Grey Strangers did not follow such harsh customs. Either way, understanding began to trickle through his mind like a cold shiver. Though it was not their custom, it was a widely followed human one. Things were going to change, for better or for worse from this moment on.

Nanna had kept silent for long minutes, setting out clothes and ancient jewelry pulled out like magic from the satchel. Once she finished setting them down, she turned towards her grandson with an expression that brought out the creases in her face with dramatic effect. The sadness and reserve in her eyes muted the shine they usually sparkled with. 

"John." Nanna crooned, holding her arms up for embrace. It took three seconds for John to look up into her withered face and meet her, arms clasped tightly on her back and shoulder. He did not need words to feel her emotions, thick on the back of his tongue. She nuzzled into his ear, inhaling the scent of brine and seaweed, a smell that was meant only to appear in spring. "My sweet, beautiful boy. Whatever happens now, nothing of my love shall change. You can always ascertain that." With a murmur lighter than an exhale, she began a journey prayer. 

Dread curled like a barbed snake around his stomach. His posture stiffened as the words of his ancestors wished him a safe journey with guidance and property. It was a prayer he chanted with his tribe when hunters were forced on winter quests for food, the words all too familiar despite their estranged tongue. John was stunned to the spot, tears unbidden welling up in the corners of his eyes. What cruel twist was this? Was it a prank? "N-Nanna..." 

She continued, kissing each brow for guidance and his forehead for insight before holding his head cradled between her hands, staring into the depths of his eyes. He could only stare into the brilliance of her own. "Whatever comes to pass my grandson, you are strong enough to surpass it. Rely upon your instincts." Nanna spoke at last, turning John around just as his father walked back into the tent. The two locked eyes and electricity zinged between them. There was a confirmation of some sort and John's grandmother took her leave. Only once the pelts stopped moving did the chieftain finally approach.

"Rightful heir to the Egbert name, we have come to a standstill." He proclaimed, standing with his son as two warriors would before facing one another in a duel. Tension rippled across John's arms, feeling the bruises jump to awareness once more. He bit his lip as his father continued to scowl. "The traditions passed down by our ancestors decree that a heir must face dangers alone and prove himself to our people as the rightful heir to my leadership. Because of the circumstances that have come to pass, your life was rescued by another. By Betty's ancient decree, that other now owns the life it claimed from death." The solemn look on his father's face told him everything. 

He could feel the joy in knowing his son had returned from death, that he was not cheated another loved one. He could also feel his father's deepest sadness at having to put his love on hold for his duties and his respect to the ways of their people. Despite the feeling of betrayal coursing through him, John also felt his own love and respect for his father. He realized that he understood what had gone through his father's mind, and the pain he must have carried from the moment John had gone under the ice. Armed with these reassurance, John's expression sharpened and his Father's faltered. Love courses through the two of them as John stood tall, and wrestled his father into a warm embrace. 

For a few, precious moments John was two, six, ten, fourteen again, feeling his father's pride as their warmth mingled before his eighteen years reminded him. The rough arch of his Father's back reminded him of the hours of rough horseplay, training for the day he'd be old enough to join the hunt for himself. The pride from his father reminded him when he killed his first game; led his first solo hunt, the day he joined the tribe on their celebratory hunt at the end of a dreaded winter. His life was still going to continue past this bump in the road, he was sure of it. Their hug ended, arms clasped around biceps as they stared full-heartedly into each other's eyes, seeking the true emotions in their souls. 

The moment of warmth began to fade as the chieftain cleared his throat, eyes watering with unshed tears. "My son. The Ancestors demand we follow the code, and I cannot help but abide by what is written. But the old ways demand a ceremony to honor the union, and I fear my resolve wavers in face of their demands." Without further insight, he gestures towards their hollow. John followed the length of his father's arm, tracing his hand with his eyes before seeing the bedding. Nanna had set down a ceremonial wedding garb for him, profession tokens and groom jewelry in all its ancient glory. John felt like he couldn't breath for long, agonizing seconds as everything clicked into place, like an old wooden puzzle. 

"I am to be wed to a man?" John mumbled, lower lip trembling. He couldn't believe it! Married to another guy?! That was so.... Uncommon! Only tribes in the south condoned such things. His father tried to explain to him years ago that southern tribes didn't depend on numbers for survival quite as much and so breeding pairs weren't prioritize like the tribes ridden by the cold were. It was too weird for John to wrap his head around, even as his father helped him don his new attire. Bracelets and a collar of blue stained leather were tied with care, each new attachment weighing down on his spirit. They felt like shackles, and with good reason. 

Though they were meant for a slightly larger build, the ties made each piece fit like it hadn't before. A fitting was important to see if any new pieces needed to be made before the ceremony. As his father knelt to try the ties on his ankles, John recalled again a fleeting dream of his childhood. Once he envied seeing his father this way, tieing him to a new life, a family with his future wife. Negative emotions clogged his heart as his father glanced up between knots, an expression to mirror his own. The barbs from the snake only coiled more tightly. It was moments later the last of the clothes were tied down that his father bowed his head, and began the journey prayer. John felt the sting of tears coat his throat,but he swore that he would not cry. The vest would need another fitting, one he never wanted to prepare for.

*~* 

Karkat wasn't in much higher spirits. His crew had taken to the invasion quite nicely and did not miss the opportunity to mock and taunt their leader. Feeling pity for an Ape?(Human, he always corrected. Humans.) It wasn't something too tragic that ruined his chain of command, but it did not help his wandering thoughts. The Alpha had returned quickly after his retrieval of the welp, and demanded negotiations. It seemed cultural to them to allow death to wisk their brood if they are not fit for surviving on their own. Something that quite reminded Karkat of troll culture (vehemently he thought of the brooding caverns and the drone collections of slurry.)

It was made clear that the Alpha no longer held responsibility over his welp. More so, that it was now Karkat's responsibility to take care of it. The butt of the majority of his soldier's endless, condescending jokes. No matter how he tried to reprimand them, it just became clearer and clearer to all trolls involved just what was going on in the awful aftermath of that unfaithful incident. From the moment he brought the unconscious human back into the tent the trolls felt that Karkat had more or less become flushed for the clumsy human, and now it was going to become the equivilant of a cullslave. The humour of such a thing happening to none other than their esteemed captain was hysterical. Despite Karkat's continuous protests and explanations, the soldiers were unrelenting with their jokes and accusations. 

During the slow moments in between organization and practice, Karkat had enough time to over-think everything, as he tended to do when left to his own devices. It was after examining assets and considering the amount of stores left for their trip that it dawned on him that his fellows may be on to something. Though he doubted it was anything like the flushed, bright pity they'd been thinking about, Karkat analyzed critically how his actions had changed after the encounter with the mutant beast. It made sense at first how his behaviour was misinterpreted, after the fiasco protecting their communicator it was obvious that any warmth or care-y-ness was regarded as flushed solicitation. Considering how most of his soldier's are lowbloods conscripted the moment they reach spawn maturity, he doubts that most of them had ever felt true, romantic pity in their lives.

Following this train of thought, Karkat comforted himself into thinking that his reactions were normal and even somewhat expected when tied to his instinct to survive. The more he believed this truth however, the more deceptive it became. As time passed as it always did, Karkat would spot the welp every now and again, but only for the briefest of moments. The Alpha's female would be teaching some sort of stance before the heir noticed Karkat's gaze, and would quickly scurry out of sight. The next day, he was elbow deep in a colored mixture before jumping out of his skin and snapping to attention, eyes meeting for fleeting moments before Karkat came to himself and the boy was gone. Every moment he could remember became recalled more and more, until all that really remained on Karkat's mind night in, night out was the damn human boy. 

Turning over in his mind was the familiar claws of loneliness. Why was the welp avoiding him? Sometimes Karkat would have flashes of fury. He hadn't received any kind of thanks for his sacrifice. No contact, no nothing. Sometimes he would sit there with worry and anxious thoughts gnawing at him until he started clawing at his wrists in a habit to rival Kilika's, another fellow soldier who had awful joints because of his own anxious habit. Those thoughts always revolved around thinking about what he may have screwed up. What if the boy was being punished for what Karkat did, persecuted because his life was spared when it should have ended? The anguish tossed and turned in his braincase before one day he woke up and realized why did he even care? It wasn't like he should even consider giving a shit about what some petty human boy thought of him. The dawning realization that he actually did care, and cared quite a lot, sent his thoughts reeling over and over. He was concerned that eventually, he may lose focus on what really mattered about the boy.

Zerbed and two others on the other hand, seemed just as concerned. Kilika, the rustblood vagrant with horns like rapiers that had taken the unfortunate beating a few days ago approached their brooding leader, wringing his hands over and over. His knuckles cracked every few moments when he clenched too hard, and more so when he finally sat down and bowed his head. Karkat waited in his brooding silence, eyes half lidded with restraint as he focused on the forming bruises on his face, and the missing teeth in his soldier's grimace. 

"Uhm, sir. I was wondering... Uhm." Kilika choked, swallowing once, twice, picking at the holes in his teeth with his tongue before groaning and sitting on his hands after a particularly nasty crack. "May I ask a question..? Uhm, sir." 

"Get on with it you bulgelicker, I'm not in the fucking mood to deal with you shameglobe-fondling fuckheads today." Mumbled Karkat, too drained to boast his rants as usual. Kilika gulped audibly and shuffled his position a little closer, bunching his shoulders and tilting his head so his horns are in no proximity to his leader. His almond eyes peered wetly up at his leader through patchy lashes.

"Sir, about the Ap- Human grub you are taking under your wing-" the growl vibrating from his captain's throat stifled his voice for but a moment, and a wavering copy marched on. "I worry about his... general safety." Karkat fully opened his eyes, turning a look to his soldier. If Kilika squinted, he might have noticed the subtle hue changing around the scelera. "Trolls and Humans have been living at a tumulous peace at best. And we've been living in separate zones across a cave. What will happen once that boarder is crossed?" 

It was a valid concern after all. Trolls barely managed not to murder one another on a general basis. How was a weaker being going to cope with the attempts at it's life day in, day out? Karkat's dreads just seemed to deepen, more concerns filling his mind like virus ad windows. What was he going to do with this kid? What if he died on his watch? The density of these feelings made Karkat's head throb, starting the avalanche of another headache. What in the mother grub's name was he going to do? 

"Sir..? Uh, sir..?!" Kilika leaned forward, waving a hand side in front of Karkat's nose, earning a deserved go at his fingers with a snap of his captain's teeth. A small yelp seeped out between his crooked fangs, and the wavering of his lips gave away how startled he had been. Three nervous swallows and five wringing of his wrists later a new troll named Mooren grunted and entered the private bubble, collapsing on her girthy legs into a pile. Kilika wringed his wrists into arthritis at the intrusion, gulping over and over to slow his bloodpusher's desperate kick at a marathon.

"M-M-M-M-Moooreeenn...!" Kilika stammered, earning a piercing emerald glare. The forestblood grumbled, pulling out a piece of metal rubbish and began chewing on it. 

"What Kilika failed te mentionz in a timely manner waz that we'z been thinkin' an decided we'z zhould form a 'guarding groupz' to keep the zmall fellerz safe." In between crinkling of the biotitanium and Mooren's quirk, her demeanor was to say the least domineering, if not somewhat garbled. On the hemospectrum, she was one of the highest lowbloods here. Despite the new laws of reform, instincts formed by lowbloods like Kilika won't disappear until the next broods begin learning their new laws. His shuddering and cracking knuckles were not helping Karkat's headache, but the idea was also blooming hope within him. If he had loyalists willing to assist him, the burden would not be as great. 

"What's a pale weakling to any of you?" Karkat grumbled, rubbing at his temple to sooth the onset of pain as he sat up, back against the wall but facing his crew. It was then that he noticed Zerbed hovering nearby, waiting for a signal to come over. With the flick of his wrist Karkat invited him to join them, and the four settled in a loose circle. It was only once they all exchanged various looks did Zerbed finally step in. 

"We had all been discussing issues and opinions around the fire when we all reached the same conclusions sir. These humans are not what are sensors warned us for." Zerbed clunked his molars together, grinding over how to word things next. Between the creaking from Kilika and the crunching from Mooren, it wasn't much of a surprise when Karkat's ears began to twitch in irritation. How wonderful an orchestra trolls are. "Humans are not only sentient, but vastly intelligent. If it wasn't so obvious the difference between our insectoid development and their mammalian one, I'd be willing to wager a common ancestor. If any other ship landed in any zone in relation to ours by ten hundred thousand kilometers, they'd be dead or stranded, as we are. They would not have been as fortunate as ourselves to have been spared by other human tribes. If this is true,we may need to make allies with our tribe here if we want to survive. There's a chance we may have to live out our lives here." 

Karkat snapped his head back, shocked that such an idea came from his second in command. Glancing left and right, meeting Kilika, Zerbed and then Mooren's eyes, it was obvious to him then that this idea was shared by the three soldiers. How many more of his crew had come to this conclusion yet? It was startling to even consider, but it was a thought that had crossed his mind as well. What if the mother ship had deemed the planet unsalvageable and left the various crews stranded? If this was the case, it wasn't so surprising all things considered. His scowl plunged the crew into a strained silence, to the point where even Kilika ceased wringing his wrists. Eventually, Karkat looked up at Zerbed, and his second in command cleared his throat. 

"If we protect their heir and unite our forces, we may be able to live comfortable lives here. Well, " Zerbed conceded once Mooren gave a vicious crunch to her treat, enounciating her full powered glare. "As comfortable as we can get it to be. This seems like a reasonable conclusion and course of action." 

"I haze trouble dizagreein, so I am in full zupportz. Bezidez, we get freedom from ze dutiez of enzlavement.We will no longer be forzed to kill uther zpeciez for empirical purpozez." With a final bite, her metal scrap was swallowed and a satisfactory burp lightened the conversation. "We may be zeparated by opinionz, but a crew followz ze captain'z command. Zey will conformz." 

Kilika swallowed nervously, before sitting up, composure melting into that of a proper soldier. "Besides, this planet can't be too bad. The humans recount trees and plains during warmer seasons. We can cope. I believe we can co-exist." 

 

Zerbed only needed to fix his captain with a look to convey his opinion. They were all willing to try, to bring peace to their scattered species. Karkat had the wriggling parasite remind him of his mutation and the looming threat of his imminent discovery, but it was pushed under the bus of his acceptance. Whatever may come, his crew would be safe. Them and the welp will survive. Hope loomed in the crevices of his mangled heart as he stood, saluting his soldiers. Zerbed and Mooren flinched to attention, faces pinched. Kilika saluted slowly, face mingling many emotions before settling on unease. 

"We will bring sanctuary to our crew. Alert the patrol that I have an announcement come the next cycle." Fixing Zerbed with a look of his own, Zerbed scrambled to stand before his esteemed leader. "Find other soldiers willing to serve the new purpose. Identify possible threats and report them immediately. Dismissed." Saluting again, Zerbed scrambled to the tent, soon disappearing behind the biotech screens. Snapping his attention to Mooren, he was pleased to see her already standing at attention. "I'm pleased by your behaviour. I award you status of third in command." 

 

Mooren's usual tenure crumbled as awe molded her face. He could read the pride oozing from her pores. It was damn time he recognized her assets and awarded her efforts. Karkat had been considering a new addition to his pose of commanders, and thought no troll better than a commandeering oliveblood like Mooren. She was reasonable and intimidating, but wise. Her more lax salute solidified and her posture stiffened perfectly. "Thank you sir!" Karkat nodded and began to pace, arms held crossed behind his back. 

 

"I need you to instruct the soldiers of their new orders, and have them prepare for a treaty. I understand the implications, but I am counting on you to get it done. If this plan is to work, we must crush any potential insurrection." Mooren nooded, and with an agreement from her captain sent off to follow Zerbed in his interrogations and start the reformation of the soldiers. Once she vanished from sight, Kilika sat up and slunk towards his captain. Turning sharply on his heel, Karkat eyed Kilika closely. He had returned to his nervous state, wringing his hands raw. His back was bowed like a beetle, chin up in order to lower his horns but show his face and neck in complete submission.

 

"This was Zerbed's idea all along, wasn't it? Why would a shitstain like you choose to follow him?" Karkat barked, far more for show than real aggression. Pity panged in his chest as Kilika drooped his shoulders even lower to expose the spines at the crest between neck and shoulder blades. 

"I'm going to be frank captain, and may the deities forgive my behaviour now, but I am not cut out for this." Imediately Karkat's face flushed a dirty green. Was this a pale solicitation? How ludicrous..! "I'm too soft for slave driving." Eyes trailing the ground, he shuffled closer to his master, body tilted away from him as if ashamed. Karkat's neck and chest burned with embarrassment. "I envy them and their bonds to their fellows. I would be at ease the rest of my short life pretending to be among them." 

Just like that, it was over as soon as it began. Kilika scurried like a wounded prowlbeast towards the firepit, welcomed noisily by his fellow trolls. Karkat watched a few moments more, willing his tainted blush away as he processed the information. Kilika... wanted to be human? No, he wanted their way of life. He wanted closeness and compassion. Deep in his heart, Karkat understood. His pity for his soldiers, his desire to protect them from harm. He was a kindred spirit, after all. Kilika glanced over his shoulder at that moment, and their eyes met. Everything was clearer now. Kilika broke the connection, and laughed in retort to someone's comment.

*~*

Before the night was over, it was clear that only two soldiers had a problem with the new regime. A new regime meant they couldn't kill their human neighbours and dominate their species, a sentiment which was quite within grounds considering it was troll behavior from the beginning of their violent species. Unsurprisingly, it was the tallest bronze-blood Qurbin and the damn fool Sheerik who opposed him. It was a concern as out of a crew of twelve trolls, the two who chose not to conform were some of the strongest warriors of the entire platoon. Their strength had a moral impact upon the rest of his crew, causing some skirmishes and apprehension between soldiers. 

What worsened the strain upon their captain was the ceremony forced upon him by the humans. Soon after the troll forces set about their plan, the Alpha returned to speak with him again. Despite Karkat's gravelly argumentation, it was clear that the Humans required a bonding celebration in order to make the exchanging of ownership a 'real thing'. It was a ludicrous proposal that make his teeth ache. Past Karkat would certainly have flipped his lid at such a blatant mockery of a flushed reunion. Present Karkat however, had three of his crew speak to him about a life-long union between the species in the name of survival. In the end, the ceremony would be a symbol of exactly that, a treaty between species. 

So with those thoughts in mind, the Humans and Trolls began work on the cavern. Though temporary housing it was, the Humans had explained that the winters would last another five months from this point on and that a tropical species like the Trolls would need more protection from the merciless cold. Bundled up, together they worked on moving stones from the back of the cave and stacking them in a pile by the mouth of the cave. The human young then followed through with a granite coloured paste that swelled over time and sealed the stones together, creating a very sturdy wall between the howling wind and the gathered warmth. 

As some worked on the wall, others began learning cultural talents that one lacked and the other excelled. The Trolls taught the Humans how to better forge weaponry, showing them sharpening skills and how to meld certain stones into the smelt to create far superior metals. They taught the Humans how to hold new styles of weapons and showed them battle tactics that would force rival tribes to crumble without much resistance. In return, the Humans taught the Trolls how to cure leather and make cloths and holsters. They taught individually how to use blunt blades to carve patterns into the material and how to use berries as dye. They also taught the Trolls how to tell herbs and berries apart from their toxic cousins, and a multitude of purposes such as blending into surroundings and even changing their scent on a hormonal level. Some even sat around the Human fires to hear stories about the native species that live on the planet and which were good hunting game for the tribes.

It was during such a learning seminar on pattern making that Karkat saw the welp again. He was helping the limegreen girl carry faggots towards a stock tent, the two smiling warmly at one another as they conversed. He knew that if he let him get away, it might be another eternity before he'd see the heir again. Scrambling up, Karkat’s clumsy footing knocked over some bowls of fluids and startled his teacher, one of the albino females, into yelping. They stared at each other for a brief few moments before Karkat remembered his purpose. He warbled an apology, his second jaw vibrating as he took off towards the heir, filing between other members of their pack and kneeing some in the back in his hurry. He didn't think to himself how desperate he was feeling, but his worry for the boy bubbled to the forefront of his mind and he remembered his concern. 

His small commotion startled a few of his troop into muffled laughter as they watched their leader stumble over more bowls and knickknacks. One fell over when Karkat knocked over a curing stand, startling the human boy into a stance. The girl glared sourly at him, eyes flashing as her arms clenched around her bundle. Trying to smooth over the entire fiasco by leaning into a tent, Karkat attempted to feign nonchalance. He kept his expression schooled as he muttered a weak hello, ignoring his apprehension towards the girl and finally looking towards the boy. Before he could start any sort of 'master plan', a loud snap startled them both and Karkat fell backwards into the crumbling tent. The supports all swept sideways and twisted over the mass of angry troll, finally collapsing over his shouting shape as if to say 'Just hide, you embarrassment to Troll culture.' It was a long struggle before he accepted his fate and let the tent conceal his burning guava blush.

The heir just eyed the horrendous disaster left in the leader's wake, meeting the grinning expressions of their audience before hiding his face in his hands with a howling laughter. Jade huffed, trying to dispel the laughter bubbling up in her throat before a few squeaky giggles fell forth. The entirety of the cave had been witness to the awful spectacle that was Karkat Vantas, most doubled over in second-hand embarrassment. Roxy, who had been teaching him how to dye his leather, was rolling about with laughter on her cushion before realization hit her. The Grey Stranger almost spoke to their heir! Using her fingers, Roxy whistled ear-splitting loud and called out to her friends, who'd been sharpening their blades a few tents away. 

Dirk and Jake snapped their heads around, sheathing their weapons and jogging over, dipping between teepees and curing stands before standing before Roxy. She shirked her shoulder to indicate the scene behind her, turning on her heel so they could assess it together. Grinning ear to ear and deep green eyes crinkling with good humour, Jake stifled his laughter in his bracer before turning around and leaning on his knees in an effort for control. His impassive bleach blonde companion stared as he always did, meeting Jade's gaze and caused her to sober up. Dirk only nodded once to her and gestured with a shrug before unfolding his arms. 

Jade then stood up, cleared her throat and tossed her bundle on top of the struggling troll in the tent. More colorful protests floated from the folds as Dirk waltzed over and hooked his arm under John's left armpit while Jade turned up her nose, took John's right arm, and stole him gracefully away. John could only blubber in concern as his heels dug small lines in the dirt, mystified that he was being whisked away so dramatically. He could only groan when Jade began humming a victory hymn, bobbing her head side to side as she practically skipped away. Moments later Dirk picked up on a small note and played the part of the drums, beating his other hand against his chest for the irony of it. Before long, the trio disappeared behind another tent.

Karkat finally clawed his way for freedom, cursing to high heaven as he got up, tossing a stray rope from his shoulder and dusting off a dirt stain on his arm. It took him a few moments to notice his two spectators, in which he glared at from under his eyelashes. Jake then burst into uproarious laughter, tears glinting in his lashes as Roxy pinched her lips together, cheeks red from holding her own laughter in. A vicious trill was sent their way, startling the humans who could still be unnerved by yellow set eyes, before he stormed off in a huff. The pair struggled to hold in their jovial emotions as they took after him, each playfully hooking their arms into his elbows. 

““C'mon now, ol' chap! It was nothing to be in a tizzy aboot! It was all for good show! Chin-up, chin-up I say!”” Chuckled Jake, leaning in close to Karkat's side as he gestured wildly, strutting along as if he were in a warrior march. Karkat was far too bewildered that the humans were so comfortable touching him that he was strung along, goggle-eyed and fish-lipped. 

““Yeh man, nu need ta be shmo embarrassed! S't'was funny man. Ch-Chin uhp!”” Roxy spewed next, rocking her body left in right as contrast to Jake's forwards and backwards. Karkat felt his shoulders groan in protest as he ground his teeth together. Humans were so insufferable sometimes! 

““Thet weth the werrskt thingk eyh everr ded do.”” Karkat managed to grind out, ears turning guacamole green as the two choked on their laughter. Despite practice, Karkat was still completely awful at speaking human. Roxy actually began to tear up, her whites looking glassy and almost blue as she leaned in to Karkat's face, eyes wide. He could not do much but stutter mid-step, shocked again by how secure these humans felt around him. 

““Dude, th-that was the "wurstkk" thing I have had, have evah heard.”” She whispered, puckering her lips and pinching her cheeks before giggling and letting go completely, charging three steps ahead. Jake seemed to also take a hint and let go, folding his arms behind his head as he walked. The two were silent, smiling to themselves until Karkat trilled to get their attention. Though they both turned to look at him, he avoided eye contact and rubbed at his neck in a sheepish nature. 

““Uh, wrrhi ded 'e, hhrrk, ded dey terk 'ehm aweii? Eyh event shhpunkun to eyhm sehnsh-”” Karkat tried, his lips curving maliciously as he tried all the more to speak coherently. Soon enough though it was obvious that he was worse off trying to understand a highblood's lusus. Giving a broken refrain of clicks and trills, he threw clawed hands up in the air and vibrated angrily for a few moments before sulking in a fuming silence. Jake and Roxy were hysterical, working to try and understand this toddler-broken speech of their companion as they slapped each other's backs. Once calmed enough, Jake pats Karkat's back with sympathy, earning another bewildered stare. 

““Chin-up, chin-up mate! Yeah tried at th' very least!”” He supposed, eyeing their buddy as he hung his head with another foreign growl. Remembering his device, Karkat quickly imputed his desired phrase and allowed his translator to speak for him. He felt ashamed having to fall back on it, but his attempts were going no where fast. 

““Why did the two take the one from my proximity sight?”” Parroted the machine, dulling to a faint orange glow once it was quiet. Appalled, the humans closed in on the wristband, eyeing it with pure wonder. Before Karkat's skin could crawl from head to toe, Roxy peered up staying him through her lashes, and fluttered them for a few moments. Karkat found himself momentarily mesmerized by the highblood pink of her eyes, finding a seedling of envy hungry for that kind of status before she smiled, all warmth and kindness he'd have never seen in a true highblood's face, dispelling any kind of similarity from then on. 

““Shilly boi, yu can't s-see yer groom b'fore the weddin'!”” She chortled easily, flicking her hand daintily in his face. Her and Jake exchanged a smiling look, ignorant of Karkat's broken expression. Once they looked back, they realized his confusion. ““Teh union thang. Yuh'know?”” 

It then dawned on him why the welp was avoiding him. It was a minor troll custom that Karkat (being a troll romance expert) was quite familiar with. It was custom for trolls taking legal action of binding their concupiscent partners to their class or property to hide them away from prying eyes attempting to either make a coup on their weaker partner's life or even to take their place. He felt his face twitch, almost as if he wanted to smile for how silly he was to have gotten all riled up about it. A thrumming breath passed his second jaw, releasing quite a bit of tension from his shoulders and throat. The humans only blinked at him as if more disturbed by his silence then by the foreign sounds coming from his mouth. Again he typed up a quick response and held out his translator for inspection.

““Acknowledged. When is dated timing of unification?”” 

Roxy once again took up the mantle as Jake took point, guiding them along a path on the outer limits of the human camp. She took Karkat hand in hand and took to weaving backwards, eyes locked together in a strange kind of spiritual dance. ““Lemme 'splain sum thin's to ya. 'kay?”” Too curious to let his stumbling flap feeler tie itself in a knot, he mimicked her trajectory and mutely nodded. Roxy gave a happy chirrup with a skip in her step and began her explanation. Though her speech was slurred and heavy, Karkat did his best to put together the important facts, as embarrassing or breaching as they were. 

Roxy went on to tell the story of their first ancestors, and how the first woman was tamed by the love of a man who tore time in pieces to bind her wilderness inside a body crafted at the top of a moutain so they could be together. The bound body then became known as the first human being, who tore itself in two so one side could be strength to move obstacles upon its decent of the moutain, while the other would be gentleness to protect Strength from harming itself on the dangers of the wilderness. It was obvious to him that this was supposed to be a representation of how the Gods chose how to make males and females, but he let it slide. The story became long and convoluted, so eventually the trio sat down near a fire to eat as Roxy continued explaining the saga of a very pure blooded family trying to prove the fidelity of their heiress, forcing her to choose one man to marry so that the tribes could finally be united and could share the bounty of the land. It soon became clear to Karkat that all of these stories served to explain the importance of marriage and the trials he was going to have to complete in order of our complete the truce.

It was from there that Jake and Roxy took turns making gestures and explanations to things that Karkat ended up being unable to make head or toes out of. It took multiple tries to get past cultural barrier and explain why family matters as much as it does (which Karkat realized was just an extended affection for what Trolls have as ancestors, but more shared.) Once done, it was Jake's turn to explain something, and so he chose Honour. He was very insistent about having Karkat understand Human Honor (as opposed to Troll Honour in which it's quite a brutal battle to the death in almost all cases), to the point in which they dueled and Jake was left nursing a nasty bruise on his collarbone. 

It was at that moment that Dirk decided to show up, spotting his friend on the ground, head bowed and curled in on himself and quickly coming between him and the troll threat. It was only a few moments before Karkat's instinct kicked in and he backed away, arms spread and back down in an show of aggression, a warrior challenge to this stronger foe. Once again the humans seemed to relax instead of stiffen (leaving Karkat more confused than ever) as Dirk dropped his arms to his sides, eyes held firmly locked on to his target. 

Roxy then took the opportunity to dive in and twined her arms with Dirk's, all smiles and laughter. ““Dirky! Uh mai gawd, joo mished all deh fun shtuffs!”” She twittered harmlessly, jumping onto the tips of her toes in excitement.The warrior seemed unfazed as she launched into her recap, his focus slowly moving towards her. Jake just laughed every now and again, feeling too drained to stand just yet. Twitching his ears to remove the stress built up in his head, Karkat captchalogued his sickles and approached Jake, offering the back of his clenched hand. He was momentarily confused, staring at the fist in his face before looking into Karkat's face for an explanation. He only grunted and gestured his fist to pick something up and flexed his elbow back to mean lift. It was a pale inclination of pity to hold one's palm open, but a closed fist is a gesture among soldiers off similar standing (and sometimes among equals.) Jake immediately brightened, grabbed onto his fist and flexed his knees. In return, Karkat pulled him upwards and hefted him into a standing position. 

““Thanks mate! Cheers, cheers.”” Jake brightly smiled, meeting his fist with Karkat's clenched one before facing his friends and joining the conversation. Karkat stared down at his hand, wondering if the spry human meant the gesture as thanks or if he was even aware of what he just asked for in troll standards. It was an obvious answer and let the unintentional caliginous flirtation slide as he focused on the conversation again. 

““Sho naw we got'tcha teach 'im aboot de sherimonial shtuffs! Dat's fer joo tah do fer ush, Dirky!”” She finally concluded, wrapping her arms around Dirk's shoulders in order to drape herself over him. Jake smiled pleasantly as Karkat was just constantly baffled by how misleading human culture is. Such behaviour in troll standards meant she was clearly displaying herself as an equal to Dirk, who was clearly lower in the spectrum than she. His mind was running overtime as Dirk nodded his head and led them towards another tent. The borders of this tent were decorated with paintings of smoke and trees, along with markings he assumed was language or symbolism. The whole of the art rushed towards the opening and painted up along the flaps to where the two met. From the top he could see faint traces of smoke billowing out from the opening that was held fast by five masts of wood. One look to the left and it was clear that the smoke snaked out along the edge of the cave very briefly before it flew out of sight into a crevice and into the night sky. 

Roxy frolicked inside before Jake could hold the flap open, allowing some smoke to slip out into the air before coiling underneath their noses and up onto the stone ceiling. Karkat could smell dried berries and dried fruits, along with faint traces of ash and herbs. He couldn't honestly expect anything to make any coherent sense, so as Dirk left his weapon hanging on a rack and ducked inside, only Jake was left to gesture him towards the opening. Wearily he stepped forward, eyeing the contents of the tent before it was closed and tied behind him. There was a boxed fire in the center with another metal rack above it, along with separated blocks of wood in which rods laid resting. At each corner was a basket wrung into the stove that held many mixed herbs and dried pods. Ancient lounging pillows sat in a diamond around the stove, along with many blankets and rolls in which they could lay upon. A bucket sat in the distant back in case someone needed to use the facilities, and Karkat had a hard time shaking himself from staring at it too long. The heat already slid in between his bio-armour and his skin, causing sweat to spring where there was hair and flesh, and in between the exoskeleton along his back, belly and thighs. He was not going to enjoy being in here for very long. 

Roxy had taken a seat on the left as Dirk took chief center. Jake made to sit beside him, looked at Karkat straight in the eyes and smiled before sitting down at Dirk's right. Karkat sat down, legs kneeled underneath him in soldier pose before taking note of the lax, comfortable position of his companions. He was on guard all the same as Roxy eagerly grabbed ahold of one of the pipes and began stuffing it with various herbs from all the pockets. Jake began collecting from the pocket nearest him, laying back as he held a stick with a flaming coal to the open bowl and inhaled. Before Karkat could even keep track of what was happening, all three of then were already exhaling fumes from their noses and mouths, Dirk doing both at once before they wafted up under his lenses. 

They reclined onto the pillows, Roxy on her stomach, legs crossed as she inhaled and puffed away at her pipe like it was a new breathing apparatus. Jake was clumsy, legs sprawled out like his limbs were too large to coordinate anymore. Every now and again he would weeze like the broken pipe from Karkat's first schooner, followed by trailing laughter that fizzed away into irregular breathing. Dirk was silent, the pillows piled like a savage's throne behind him, pipe held delicately in one hand as the other traced patterns along his leg. The tent quickly became filled with scented smoke again, burning Karkat's eyes before they adjusted to the heavy atmosphere. Roxy began to giggle through her pipe, eyes lidded and full looking. 

““Wanna puff, handsome?”” She twittered softly, holding the pipe in his direction. Karkat quickly shook his head, eyes trained on the fire. Roxy simply puffed, shrugging her shoulders good-naturedly and heaving a deep inhale. Jake slowly rolled his head in Karkat's direction, eyed completely distant.

““Roxy and I aren't too sharp when it comes to info stuff. Dirk's the sharp shoots here.”” Was all he said before lolling his head back and losing himself in the patterns of smoke. Karkat's airsacks began to tingle a little, like little pinpricks as his skull felt slowly stuffed with babeast pelt. He didn't have to worry or feel nervous so suddenly that he wanted to panicked or jump to attention, but the curling of that soft pelt left him feeling at peace. It was so easy to just ignore the negativity that he did. He laid himself back, dragging a finger along the seam of his bio-Armour to allow it to peel open and give his chest the chance to breathe and rested his head against a pillow, feeling his skull just turn to mush as he settle there. He could hear the humans respond with laughter, the smirks and smiles evident in the pace of their breathing.

““Finally unwinding, master Alien?”” Dirk finally said, puffing lightly on his pipe as he watched the captain expose himself so readily. Karkat simply rumbled in his chest, pleasantly calm and relaxed. With a chuckle Dirk sat up, tapped the ash from his pipe and stared into Karkat’s half-lidded eyes, smoldering in the fire. He could see the green in his eyes, and the small distortion on the very outskirts of it, and he felt a humbling pressure in his chest. The intelligent light in those eyes just seemed so human to him that many complications that had steeped his heart began to crack and shirk away from his doubt as he watched this man behave. 

““You focused, then?”” He spoke after a while, and was almost surprised by how quickly those eyes sharpened and focused upon him. He could feel the predatory way in which he saw those legs and arms arch within a moment's notice, yet the whole still seemed quite relaxed. He was very impressed to say the least, and honored the captain's attentiveness by removing his eye-wear in return. ““I'm supposed to explain what everything's all about. But maybe tonight should just be unwinding first.”” 

Jake snorted to himself, sitting up and changing his own pipe, slowly stuffing it again before looking over to Karkat. ““The shebang isn't for another two weeks, so it's not like you have a limited frame of engagement.”” 

““We can jus' unwind t'nigh. Take 't easie.”” Roxy then murmured, allowing the smoke to billowing from her mouth as she spoke. Her body was all curled around like a purr beast, her thighs taunt and inviting as the material split there. Karkat's focus on the beauty of her form was suddenly interrupted when Jake attempted to imitate her and he began hacking violently before rushing for a jug of liquid that had been hidden under some pelts. Karkat slowly found himself chuckling, albeit very quietly, and enjoyed listening to the humans for once. They talked about love interests between clan mates and which seemed most suited for the other. There was scandal about certain circles interfering and about certain families being united. It was an interesting insight upon how human hierarchy worked and how the social class functioned. 

Karkat wishes he could have written some observations down because the fuzz in his head makes him feel like he's going to forget this later, but it doesn't irk him as much as it should.This topic quickly dwindled when Roxy was finally pestered about which male she would prefer most and bombarded Karkat with the same question. As if it was the worst taboo Jake jumped around the hearth to land attop her only to clap his hands over her mouth. Dirk seemed poised to do the same until they all looked to their esteemed guest, startled by the rattle that came from his chest. It dawned on them that it was pure laughter he was exuding and slowly settled back in their spots. He just couldn't contain himself anymore, humans just seemed to be so funny that the wheeze and rattle repeated for quite some time before Karkat settled into himself again. 

““Ain' he coote?”” Roxy breathed, leaning in close to the earth, face craddled in her open palms with the dreamiest look on her face. Jake has settled back into his lounging position, eyes glittering mutely behind his glasses. The crook on his lips betray the amusement he's trying to conceal, but that's okay. Dirk is doing much the same, legs crossed as he leans into the plush thrown he built for himself. 

““He looks downright handsome if you asked me!”” Jake then shared, cheeks burning a little as he reclaimed his pipe and slowly pulled on it. Karkat made a quiet panting motion and dragged his middle finger along a lighter colored strip down both his arms, having the armour react and peel away like a second skin. Dirk chuckled then, the smoke loosening his anxiety as he analyzed the Grey Captain. Ignoring the blatant colour of his skin, Dirk was pleasantly shocked and satisfied to see that their guest wasn't a monster in disguise, or an attempt at one. The muscles revealed were taunt and rippling even beneath all the excessive scars that seemed to marble his natural colour, making it obvious that this chieftain was constantly training and maintaining his physical prowess. Along the outside of Karkat's arm was a thicker ridge of skin where small spines protruded as you got closer to his elbow, and it looked almost insectoid but certainly not unpleasantly so. 

All the small differences were certainly startling, only because of how human the rest of him looked. His fingers, now clear of the gloves, looked very nimble and thin with small, soft looking pads along the underside of each section. The soft, duller looking grey at the tips of each digit hid these sharp looking talons that seemed to sheath themselves like those of a bird of prey. They were a sharply contrasting yellow that matched the bottom colour of his horns and even the hue in his eyes, a curious difference in anatomy that he itched to discover. The back of his hand had what seemed to be the remains of that thicker skin on his arms, but many deep and dark looking scars prevented proper growth. Once the arms were clear the slit from the armour continued to the belt on his waist and revealed his chest. This time even Roxy responded by falling backwards into the pillows from surprise. His chest was smooth but textured, almost as if there was supposed to be a much tougher shell that was slowly being evolved out of. Dirk's eyes traced the sharper looking sternum and followed the angular ribcage to the final ribs where there was a very thick protrusion on both sides that vanished behind his back. These protrusions seemed to be three times the size of his ribs and that many times darker than the rest of him.

Karkat remained unaware of the extra attention and exhaled as he felt his skin and exoskeleton breath, reclining back into the pillows and allowing the fuzz in his brain to stretch itself. A slow and steady thrumb was working its way out of his throat, a reminder of how lax and open he probably shouldn't be but was completely okay with doing. Time was ticking by, completely ignored by the companions inside the tent, but Karkat was content to half listen the humans chatter to themselves for the fest of the night. Jake seemed to remain in a constant motion of recovery from smoking, taking a few, careful puffs and having a delayed coughing fit in an endless cycle. Roxy was content to blow smoke rings and makes shapes and designs with them, waving her hand when a stray tendril messed something up. Dirk watched him like a hawk, eyes half lidded but sharp and glittering in the dim light. Scars were very thin but plentiful along his knuckles and forearms, and Karkat could certainly respect a fellow warrior. It was then that he remembered that Dirk had some explaining to do. A quick type into his shed translator, and a lazy grip extended his device towards the lead human got Dirk's attention quite quickly.

““Permission for advisory of potential task fulfillment of future engagement is required. ”” Prattled the machine, once again dimming to a faint cinder orange glow once it was done. Karkat's focus was so oriented on Dirk's response that the machine slid over his claws and plopped lazily onto his lap, where it remained ignored. Dirk smirked a single pixel and made a dragon's whisker out of smoke. 

““Can't be dammed to wait, huh?”” Sniggered Dirk, twirling his wooden pipe affectionately. When Karkat made a grunt that sounded more like a humph, Dirk resisted the urge to laugh and sat up, leaning his arms on his knees and knitting his fingers together into a bridge that supported his chin on the top and his pipe on the bottom. ““Then get geared up my friend, for I have very specific tales to weave your mind around.”” 

Karkat made to sit up, putting some weight on his arms just as a pillow blindly came from nowhere and smacked him straight across the face. ““Cuddles fer sturee Tehm!”” Roxy then bellowed, voice all silky as she tottered nearer to the fire. Bewildered Karkat whistled violently, hair rising on their ends as he grabbed the offender with extended talons and aimed to toss it away. Just before his claws released a second pillow smacked him in the side of the head and his horn. Whirling around, hackles high, Karkat watched Jake blush sheepishly as he aimed another pillow, sitting up on his knees. With a growl Karkat aimed his pillow and released, watching dawn flutter free from the four long hashes along the poor pillow's hide as Roxy jumped him from behind. With howling laughter she nuzzled into his back, lifting her legs and allowing gravity to pull them backwards. Cart wheeling his arms, Karkat attempted his best to remain vertical but there was clearly no battle to be won once Jake threw himself onto the fray. 

““Bazoodles! Away!”” He sand, merrily hauling over his pillows and pulling them on top of the trio. He continued to giggle to himself as he stuffed pillows under Karkat's right side. Karkat laid there, eyes wide and unflinching as Roxy remained hysterical, shoving pillows underneath him as well. Whatever the fuck just happened was clearly beyond his addled braincase as the two finished their pile and made homes in each of his sides. Roxy placed her hand on his chest, cuddling up to him like a pailmate and crooked her head towards Dirk. Jake leaned his head back on Karkat's outstretched arm, crossing his arms but folding his legs in between Karkat's own. He too looked towards Dirk, content and smiling quite happily to himself. Clearly, this was some insane human bullshit.

““Story time starts here folks. No potty breaks allowed, so listen dear and listen close little children, boys and girls and alien.”” Murmured Dirk, taking on the persona of a fireside storyteller, deep voice and hand motions to boot. Karkat felt his skin crawl once or twice before the pinpricks in his lungs skirmished along his chest and quelled his anxiety again. The humans were so soft and warm, and even Jake with his mystifying amounts of body hair was a great comfort to snuggle up to. Karkat's instincts were clearly overwritten as he snuggled up to them both and hunkered down. Roxy smiled warmly as she felt his arm wrap around her shoulders, and snuggled in closer. Dirk took their body language as an affirmation and threw some of the herbs into the hearth. Unbeknownst to the lazing trio, Dirk had added some extra seedlings into the mix that sizzled and popped, sprouting various colored smoke from within the heart of the flames. As they rose up over the grate, Dirk fanned them out over his companions and began a faint hum that was soon imitated. 

Karkat's eyes opened like shinning disks, watching as Dirk masterfully sculpted the colored smoke into an awe inspiring landscape that resembled a fresh spring mountain covered in flowers and trees. Curling his hands Dirk smoothed through the smoke that slowly changed and dimmed in hues, and he was able to make spring sift to summer, burn into fall and crumble into winter as the smoke turned grey once more. The humans at his sides hummed a tune, Jake tapping on his chest to a drum rhythm as Dirk began his story. Tossing in more herbs, the smoke they'd been breathing washed over his audience once more.

““You hopefully remember the story about the dawning of time and the first human children, yes?”” Dirk questioned, curling the smoke into two strands; one a slowly rising column and the other a wild tangle of fumes. Karkat mutely nodded, unable to bring himself to speak. ““This story is truly the only common root for all tribes over the land. Though retold in a multitude of versions, it rings strong and true, giving us all common values. Every tribe shares the belief that in order to have a marriage be successful, they must scale a mountain, hand bound in hand, in order to prove to the Gods that this union is intended to bring two beings to completion.”” Again Dirk wove his hands in the heavy smoke and carried two blobs of colour to it's summit, where he twinned the two between his hands until it became one single pigment. Roxy let a heavy exhale leave her chest, and Karkat assumed it was a reaction of awe. 

““This is something you will have to do, as your first proposal. Our heir will have his hand bound to the hand of your choice, and together you will scale our current mountain home. Once you reach the summit, you must work together to create a vessel, which will symbolize the body of your union, and carry it back down.”” Dirk then added a few pellets, and somehow managed to curl the newly released green smoke into ribbons, which he curled into what looked like a humanoid shaped casket. The blob of colour he had made before was floating away, but with a few gestures he brought it back down and tangled it like a halo around the casket. Roxy nuzzled her head closer into The crook of Karkat's shoulder, almost as if to keep herself awake. 

““Wonce joo breng eht duwn, wei sturt eh dancing cherimoonie.”” She yawned, cuddling Karkat's chest like it was a well stuffed pillow. Jake hissed at her quietly, batting his available hand towards her nose. She only grumbled and hid her face before Dirk cleared his throat and continued. 

““Once you return safely, you may rest for a maximum of three days before the second part of your proposal. This part is a celebration for all the attendees, but for the two of you it will be a clash of spirits.”” He waited until the smoke cleared and made new colours, mostly reds, oranges and yellows to show fire and movement. He painted a sun of dazzling blobs that Karkat assumed were supposedly be dancers. ““When the ceremony has a man and woman, the man has a warrior pattern as the woman weaves in between with an elegant floral pattern. Because you are both male, it will be a dual of blades instead. You will have one day to practice a dance, then the last day will be practice with someone who will imitate your partner's movements. On the sixth day, the ceremony of union shall begin. You will perform before both clans, and at the climax a winner will be decided and awarded a trophy from the other side.”” 

Jake leaned over then, his lips tickling Karkat's velvet ears that twitched upwards in attention. ““The trophy is more of a matrimonial doodad. You could probably fancy up a sword and bim bop kazoo.”” Jake's breath lingered on the sensitive hairs in his ear, and a sensual chill ran up his spine. If all humans acted like this, he was going to be gunning for his money once this ceremony stuff started. Jake leaned back, head leaning against his own and Karkat felt glad that Jake remained near. 

““From this, dancers will entertain the guests and the loser will dance a solo to further reward the victor. In this case however, our heir will dance for you as this union is a thanks in exchange for his life. Then, the third proposal is all up to the heir and yourself. You may find a potential romance between you and prosperity may flourish. Your union may simply be political and you may not share the same bed. His gratitude to your kindness would require his service, and that would be all.”” It was almost as if the room dimmed then, the mood dropping tangibly. Dirk did not change expression, simply melding the flames to make patterns and paintings, but Jake's muscles bunched and Karkat could sense the sorrow in his partners. It was immediately clear in his influenced mind that Jake and the welp were closely related, and the humans all regretted such a cold fate for their beloved leader's son. 

Despite all the differences and misgivings, they wanted a good life for the young boy. Though he could have lost his life, Karkat had saved him. They were all in debt to him, yet still tried to sway him to have mercy on the life that he now owned. It dawned on him finally why the humans were being so kind and close to Karkat; they wanted nothing more than peace and unity between them all, just as he and his fellow close soldiers did. If their heir could still have a fulfilled life with his clan, by the Gods they would try and have it happen. The warmth of this assurance swelled along his chest as he pulled in his partners, nuzzling affectionately into Jake's cheek before nuzzling his nose into the top of Roxy's head. Emitting a satisfied purr, the humans smiled and laughed to themselves,returning the sentimental gesture. Dirk smirked again, spinning the smoke into tangles ribbons of first orange.

““Whatever path we may tread, let there be compromise, love and prosperity between comrades, and may it welcome the dawn of a new age.”” Dirk finished then, whisking all the smoke away and allowing the feint grey to linger lazily from the hearth. Jake and Roxy applauded the show as Dirk bowed in acceptance, and made to sit back in his throne. Karkat sat up and keened for him, a sound that startled the humans into stillness. Eyes all on him yet still oblivious, he keens a second time, far more softly as he moves his arm and beckons him over. Dirk can only think of a crooning puma, calling her litter back into the safety of her belly. He smiles then, making eye contact and seeing the hazy warmth there. He never imagined that the captain's barriers would crumble so easily under the influence of the calming herbs they were smoking, but was so very pleased with the results. He doubted things would have been as comfortable when the captain would be so high strung.

Shifting and crawling among the pillows, he made to lie next to Roxy and curl up there, but was startled when Karkat released his partners and grabbed Dirk by the shoulders, pulling him into a hug and laid down again. The movement was so jerky that Dirk smacked his chin hard in Karkat's thick shoulder, but could only laugh as he felt the leathery nose trace his shoulder from right to left in a nuzzle. Roxy vocalized her delight and joined the cuddle pile, eager to run her hands over Dirk's and Karkat's presented skin. She shifted so her head was beside Dirk's, and she also nuzzled into his shoulder as her arms found their way between their bodies. Once settled, she giggled to herself and slowly ran her hands along Karkat's foreign body, failing to memorize the tantalizing differences. Jake simply turned over and curled his arm under Karkat's head, wanting to be a part of the group but too tired to muster any active energy. The four stayed like that, legs slowly finding their way around one another and heads laid close to one another. Karkat's body temperature was by far the warmest, and before long the four had drifted off to a drug influenced sleep.


End file.
